Return of the Dragon Master
by Ineedmoretime
Summary: The Village of Berk is terrorized by dragons but now they are smarter and more coordinated. The worst part is that they are led by one who rides a night fury. How will the people of Berk solve this? And what will come after. Sorry that I suck at summaries. This is a sequel to Rise of the Dragon Master. Female Toothless.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. Alrighty here is the beginning of the next story. It has come to my attention that some people do not like the way that I portrayed the characters. Let it be known that I took a large amount of freedom in the way that I changed their portrayal. This does not reflect the movie in any way shape or form. It simply has use of the characters. I own nothing, and I hope that this meets your expectations. Also criticism is appreciated, but I don't like people snapping at me that I am doing it wrong. Anyway, read and Review.**

The village lay in darkness as silence hung over it in a stifling atmosphere. Sentries stood posted with torches and weapons in hand as the rest of the village slept. Charred remains of burnt logs from fires sat with wisps of smoke rising from them.

Suddenly roars, shrieks, and a cacophony of sound shattered the silence. Dragons by the dozen dove and grabbed sheep, yaks, and whole baskets of fish. Villagers woke from their slumber to find another raid. The raids had been happening for as long as could be remembered, but they had started being harder lately. The dragons were more strategic. They would attack randomly, and would work in maneuvers to draw out the Vikings. Almost no Vikings were ever killed, and almost no one could kill a dragon. The dragons stole, and the Vikings had nothing to show for it. Dragons captured were always freed within days, and no one could catch the one doing it.

Stoick watched with satisfaction as four dragons were dragged into the dragon ring to be caged. He would take revenge on the one that had taken his son from him, and the dragons being caged allowed the younger people to get practice. The attack had been swift and there were few injuries. The demon hadn't been there tonight. A masked being that rode a Night Fury was the one that Stoick blamed for the loss of his son, and he would always try anything to get the perceived demon.

Stoick and many other Villagers walked to the great hall. There would be a talk on how to stop the raids, and hopefully kill the rider.

"Stoick!" A viking with a peg leg and a interchangeable hand called. "We're gonna lose all our food a' this rate!"

"Gobber," Stoick said calmly, "We will survive this. We're vikings. We're too stubborn to lay down and die like that." The two got into the hall with the others as they grouped around the table. Stoick took his place at the head and looked out to the vikings.

"Now that we're here," Stoick began. "What are our food stocks like?" Immediately there were grumbles. "They can't be that bad are they?"

"The dragons just took about a quarter of the food we had left," one brave viking stood up. Stoick froze. He could never believe that they would have taken that much in one raid.

"We'll send out more fishing trips," he said. "Less searches for the nest and more for food." Others agreed with this idea.

"We could eat the dragons that we kill," one younger man said. At the cries against it, he immediately stood up. "No think about it. If we kill them and don't use any of it, then it's a waste. Plus, it's no different from hunting a bear or wolves."

"Except wolves don't breath fire!" Another called out. This got agreement from many others.

"What about the Rider?" One older woman asked. "It got worse once the demon got involved. If we get rid of that menace, maybe the raids will be easier for us to defend." These were old ideas. Being creative was not a Vikings strong suit.

A screech cut through the night. "Uncle Stoick!" A young man barged in with his curly horned helmet askew and completely out of breath.

"What is it Snotlout?" Stoick asked.

"He's here!" Snotlout gasped. "He released all the dragons is fighting the guards now!" Stoick and the others wasted no time in rushing towards the arena. They arrived to find the cages empty and a figure with a long staff that had the head of a hammer on top.

The head was two and a half feet long and was a foot in height and width. The staff was six feet long and where the head met the shaft, a dragon encircled the shaft. The figure was tall, but not as tall as Stoick. The figure was not overly muscular, but was rather thin. The mask was without adornment, but covered his head completely. The armor was pitch black and carefully crafted. In the torchlight, they could see a dragon coming full circle and biting it's tail carefully embossed on the center of the chestplate. The arms were covered in two sections of arm protection. One to the upper arm, and a set of gauntlets that tapered into a claw at the tips of each finger. The legs were equally as protected and around its waist was a belt. On the belt were slots that held stones securely. Each one had a strange pair of symbols on it. One symbol was the same on each one, while the other was different.

"I'll kill you you demon!" Stoick shouted as he strode forward.

The figure looked at him and raised one hand while letting the head sink to the floor. The figure spoke in a deep voice that others identified as male. "Rupti Sunt Ignis," he said calmly. His hand began to glow red for a second before a red ring of symbols glowed and fire erupted from the ring. The vikings dove for cover.

One viking charged with a heavy axe at the figure, and the weapon spun into action. With a spin of the weapon, the head of the weapon shattered the axe. The viking stood stunned as he stared at the weapon completely oblivious to the follow up. A blue glow lit up the weapon before the weapon's head slammed into his and he went sprawling. A shriek pierced the air and a dragon landed heavily on the ground before roaring. The dragon was pitch black and bright green eyes regarded them with malice. The figure spun the weapon and said a simple word. "Permuto," and the weapon disappeared and in its place, a stone sat in his palm. He placed the stone on his belt, and mounted the saddle that was on the dragon's back.

Stoick could only watch as the duo took off and flew away. The cage doors like open maws that were deprived of their next meal, and Stoick could not believe that it had been the work of the same personage that they had sought to defeat.

"Everyone back to the great hall!" Stoick called.

* * *

"How will we stop this menace?!" One viking called. Many murmured about it and some carefully ran their fingers over their weapons.

"A trap!" One called.

"How?" another said. "We have nothing to bait him with." This shut down that idea.

"Perhaps a sacrifice?" One tentatively asked. "I've heard traders say that it works to protect other villages down south." This got it's own objections because of what it would entail.

"But what would we sacrifice?" One woman called. "The demon probably has everything he could need! The only thing he probably doesn't have is a wife!" Many fell silent at that. Sensing the approval for the idea the woman tried to divert them from it. "But I would never subject any of our children to that! No one should have to be offered up as a way to appease a demon!" Despite this, many were still for this idea. Stoick was disgusted, but this was their only plan at this point.

"Quiet!" He called. Immediately, they quieted. "Who will take the burden?" He asked dejectedly. No one replied. "Fine. We'll draw straws."

Several straws, one for each girl between twelve and twenty five that was not already married, were picked out. Each girl was called to take out one straw. Each that was chosen as safe was relieved. It went without a hitch until Astrid came up to choose. She was pale, and though she had had many marriage offers, all of them had been turned down by her. She reached for the straws and chose one. She pulled and it came out. The one short straw. Her eyes widened as tears threatened to fall. Many were sad for her and others were just relieved that it wasn't them. Stoick caught sight of Astrid's family towards the back and though they were trying to be strong, it was obvious that only her father was not openly crying. Erik had tears streaming down his face as he watched his older sister's despair while his mother quietly sobbed into her hands. Stoick however could not show favor to anyone.

"We thank you for your sacrifice," Stoick said stoically. As he bowed his head to her, the others followed suit. With that, Astrid's fate was sealed.

* * *

A black dragon landed on the ground. All around a sea of clouds floated. The rider stepped off the dragon's back and lifted his helmet. Messy auburn hair covered his head and green eyes peered out of the face where freckles sat on his face.

"It's good to be back, right Ravyn?"

" _I still don't understand why you help the other dragons Hiccup,"_ The dragon growled.

"You know very well that I want to keep casualties as low as possible, dragon or human," Hiccup reasoned. "And besides. It's fun to keep them guessing." He gave them a smirk.

A howl cut through the air and a pack of wolves began to race towards them. Hiccup stooped down as several leaped at him and began to nuzzle him playfully.

"Hey guys," Hiccup said to the pack.

" _Hiccup!"_ They called. Hiccup had helped one of their pack and had been accepted into their pack. Among the several packs that lived on the island, this one was the dominant one. This was because of a special magic that had existed in their pack. One wolf paced forward. She was black as night and had bright blue eyes.

"Hello Nyte," Hiccup said. The wolf stood up on her hind legs as the wolf pelt fell away to reveal a woman with midnight black hair, blue eyes, and longer canines that peeked out of the top of her mouth. She had a simple tunic and breeches on and her feet were bare. A simple belt wrapped around her waist and held a simple dagger made of silver.

"Good day Hiccup," she said with a smirk. Some other wolves stood up revealing many other human appearances. This was because of their magic. They were werewolves. Capable of changing between wolf and human forms, they were formidable. Not all in their pack were werewolves. There were more wolves than werewolves, but most of them were in this pack. Their pack, the Eastern Stars Pack, had had the highest position for long before Hiccup had come.

These were not the only magical beings that lived their. It had been a motley before Hiccup had arrived. Being a human magic user made him revered and was recognised as almost the ruler of the island. As such, Hiccup had turned it into almost a haven. Escaped spirits that fled their necromancers, enslaved creatures, even some creatures that sought a place to live were welcomed. All disputes were turned towards Hiccup, and he tried his best to sort them out.

"Another island has approached us," Nyte informed him. "It seems to be newly formed and would be a great addition to our territory."

"Is it already ruled?" He asked.

"No," Nyte said with a shake of her head as they walked towards the mountain in the center of the island. "There are only some nymphs and dryads that are there and I believe they would love the thought of protection."

"Then I'll approach them about a merging," Hiccup answered. The two walked towards a small structure at the base of the mountain. There was a hut and a path down into the mountain. Walking into the mountain, they came to a beautiful stone that glowed a bright blue. It was encircled with a blue ring of symbols. Hiccup approached the stone and touched it with his fingertips. Immediately he could feel the island itself. Another island was close and he reached out to it. Another consciousness touched his and he allowed the connection.

It wasn't words that Hiccup felt, but intentions. Islands like these were formed by the creation of a mana stone. Huge accumulations of energy that bound themselves to the islands themselves, giving them flight and ability to sustain life. They were usually anchored to one place unless given direction, or if the island was small enough. Through the mana stone, Hiccup felt the thoughts of a Druid Elder. They were seeking sanctuary which Hiccup offered. He had no malicious intent and was simply offering help.

As long as they followed simple rules, they could join them. They could not interfere in conflicts unless directly asked to or were dragged in by the conflict. They could not go to areas directly forbidden, or the protection that Hiccup offered was null and void. The most important rule was to stay within the natural order of things.

With those rules laid down, he felt affirmation from the Druid Elder. Together they pulled the islands together and fused the two by merging the earth itself together. Hiccup felt the consciousness leave as they finished their business. Hiccup staggered from the huge drain of energy that had come from it. He turned and walked back towards the opening again.

"How'd it go?" Nyte asked.

"They accepted," Hiccup replied. "Same rules apply." He walked towards the hut. It was small and built into the side of the mountain, but it hid the great expanse of the building that was really there. Illusions masked the windows from the outside, but allowed people to look out.

Inside the hut was a simple area that was filled with furs, wood, and some unsmelted ores. At the back was a simple but well crafted set of double doors. Iron rings in the door were used as handles, and these were pulled to open the heavy doors to reveal an ornate hall of stone. Large windows lined the hall on one side that revealed the outside. At the end of the hall was a large set of stairs that opened up to the main dining room that he used when there were guests, and several hallways that opened up to guest rooms. Underneath the stairs was another set that led down into a secret grotto that had beautiful lush vegetation, and a pool of water that seemed to glow. This was where they went. Hiccup dipped his hand in and breathed in as he was revitalised.

"Must you always use the mana well?" Nyte asked.

"It's the fastest way to regain lost energy," Hiccup countered. "Besides, it's peaceful." The two walked back up towards the hut. They bickered goodnaturedly and poked fun at each other, but each held respect for the other.

Outside Toothless was talking to the other wolves about what the Vikings had done at the last raid. Each wolf was held in rapt attention from this story and they listened without moving except for their tails which twitched occasionally. Smiling Hiccup pulled off the rest of his armor and placed it in a protected chest. This was not protected by magic, but by his own booby-traps that he invented.

Now dressed in his simple red tunic, cotton trousers, and leather boots, he pulled out a sword and scabbard which he slung over his back. Along with this, he brought a simple bow with a quiver of arrows. The sword was beautiful. It had a slightly blue tinted blade and the handle was exquisite. It had a small dragon curled around itself in the center and at the hilt a simple symbol marked it as his. The sword was made of a merge of gronckle iron and silver. This made it very powerful against those with magic as well as those without. He walked off towards the woods to hunt

* * *

Astrid walked the village streets. She walked without caring. Others gave her looks of sadness, pity, or just sympathy. She hated it. Why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be anyone? Snotlout was even sad, though it was probably just because he couldn't possibly lay claim to her anymore. She kicked a rock. What was she to do?

"You look like you have something on your mind," she heard a voice say. She turned to see the trader sitting in his usual area. He had many items, though most of the weapons he had for sale were gone. "Anything I can help you with?"

"No one can help me," she whispered.

"Then what's the harm in me trying," he responded. "Do you have anything to lose from it?"

"No," she answered quietly. She sat down in front of him.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"What made you become a trader?" she asked. "Your father? Continuing the family business?"

"Nope, nothing like that," he answered. "My village rejected me. I wasn't what they wanted, so they ignored me. I learned however, that I don't need them. I just need something for myself."

"I wish I could find something like that," she said.

"Well what's stopping you?" He asked.

"My duty," she said. "I have to marry, and I hate it."

"Duty," he scoffed. "That's just a fancy way of saying orders. They say duty, but really they just want you to do something for them. Load of shit if you ask me."

"Do you know anything about duty?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I was supposed to follow in my father's footsteps. When I chose not to, they almost immediately found a replacement. And here's the kicker. They all thought that my replacement would be better than me."

"That sounds rough," Astrid said.

"It's fine. But we're talking about your problems, not mine," he said pulling them back on track.

"I have to marry a demon," she spat.

"Really," he said. "I'm no expert, but I would have put that as a myth. Let me guess, something about virgin sacrifice?"

"Something like that," Astrid admitted.

"Could be worse," he said. "Most other 'Virgin sacrifices' would have someone half your age on an altar before being stabbed with a sharp knife." He snorted. "And they do those way too often."

"You've seen them?" Astrid asked.

"No," he responded darkly. "I book it out of there as fast as I can. Even if I were to try and succeed in saving the person being sacrificed, they'd just grab someone else to do it."

"So what do you suggest?" Astrid said.

"Do whatever the hell you want to do kid," he said with a shrug. "Just make sure you won't regret your decision later." He began to pack up his wares and stood up.

"Thanks for listening to me," Astrid said.

"There's nothing worse than being ignored," he said softly.

At this Astrid froze. The voice had almost sounded just like Hiccup. He was walking away, and Hiccup's blood had been found in the cove. He couldn't be. She looked at the trader, but he never looked back.

* * *

Astrid looked at herself in the mirror. Her mother was silently crying while her brother stood with a small sword and tears leaking out of his eyes. She was in the clothes that would seal her fate. The dragons had begun their attack and she was going to be offered up to the rider. Her bridal crown rested on her head and she fought the urge to cry. What could this achieve?

"Astrid," her mother sobbed. "We are so very sorry. We love you so much. I wish that there was something that we could do." She took a deep breath. "Please just forgive us." She managed before breaking down again and crying.

"I don't want you to go," Erik said. "I need my big sis," he said. "I don't want to have to watch you leave."

"Erik," Astrid said as she stooped down to his height. "I have to do this. As much as I hate it, I wouldn't set this fate on anyone else." She reached out and hugged her little brother. "If I can, I will come back and visit or at least send letters." She stood up as the all too familiar shriek of a night fury echoed through the night.

 **A.N. Here it is! I know you all were waiting on this, and I am sorry that it took so long. Anyway, review please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. Alright! So you guys are reading the story! Great! I know that the higher rating might have scared some people off, but you guys stuck with it, so thank you. Now please read and review. Also if you guys watch RWBY you should check out my other story, A Grimm Legacy. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

Astrid walked out of her home with her family trailing behind her. She walked stoically towards the town center. Stoick, Spitelout, and several others were already there. There were two posts and each held a manacle and a chain. It was probably to keep her from running away if she so decided. Well she would not be a coward. She would do what was expected of her. As she walked to the the center others still stared at her with pity.

She stayed still as her arms were chained and Stoick looked at her sadly almost asking for her forgiveness. She stared back unfeeling. He turned and Spitelout stood next to him. The villagers were all gathered around the town square.

* * *

Above the village Hiccup and Ravyn flew. Hiccup was directing the dragons to the best ways to gather food with the least casualties. There were a few rules. They could protect themselves, but would not seek out the villagers. They would not harm children and would avoid the families with young children. He pulled out a stone and rubbed his finger on it. Something was different. He could very well need this.

"RIDER!" he heard. He looked for the source and saw the chief. Stoick. He would not call him father. That would just make everything harder. The whole village seemed to be there.

"Take us down," he told Ravyn.

" _Are you sure?"_ Ravyn asked. " _What if it's a trap?"_

"Then I've got you to help me," he reassured her. They flew down to the town square and Hiccup stepped off. His mask should distort his voice if he needs to speak.

"Rider we have an offering for you," Stoick said. Hiccup looked at him. What could he possibly have for him. Stoick stepped aside to reveal Astrid chained and in a wedding gown. Hiccup had to keep still though it was hard. He looked at her then turned to go back to Ravyn.

"He want's blood and we'll give it to him!" Spitelout shouted as he drew his sword. Hiccup turned to see this and the maniac look of fear in the man's eyes. He pulled out the stone and activated the runes. In an instant a sword was in his hands. It was beautiful but also practical. He was at Spitelout's thoat in an instant. With the sword at his throat, Spitelout stopped. He pulled away and Hiccup turned back to Astrid. He tilted his head as he looked at her.

"No!" he heard. A boy swung his sword at him. He was so young. He easily parried the sword. "I won't let you take my sister!" He recognised Eric her brother. However, even if he left Astrid, they might try to kill her to "appease" him. He quickly disarmed the boy and flicked his legs out from under him. He picked up the sword that the boy had lost. He raised in and drove it into the floor next to the boy.

"Leave," he said in his distorted voice. He turned back to Astrid and raised his sword. Expertly, he slashed the chains off her. He turned and took a few steps before turning to look at her. She followed. He got on Ravyn and waited for Astrid to sit behind him. The dragons had already gotten what they needed and had left, so Hiccup had no reason to stay. Ravyn crouched before leaping into the air with Hiccup and Astrid on her back. The three flew away while dragons left to go back to the nest. A few followed Hiccup instead, but most went back to the nest. Hiccup's mind raced. Things just got a lot more complicated.

* * *

Stoick watched as the demon flew away. The dragon was a Night Fury. The beast that he wanted dead! He would have attacked if he wasn't in the midst of a negotiation. It should work, but at what cost. The group walked back to their homes. All of them except one boy who watched the sky where it had swallowed his sister. Erik pulled his sword out of the ground and walked towards the forest. He'd train. He'd learn. He'd be able to fight the demon if it ever came back around.

* * *

Ravyn landed and Hiccup stepped off. He bent down to Ravyn, "Warn the others. True names are not to be used at this point." He whispered. "They should refer to me as Ryder around the new arrival." Ravyn nodded and ran off, though he knew that he'd get a tongue lashing later. He turned to Astrid. "Come," he said simply. He walked towards the hut.

"That's it?" Astrid asked as they walked inside. "Just a simple hut? I thought that-"

"You thought that demons have huge elaborate castles?" He said coldly. "News for you. I'm no demon." He walked to the large doors and pulled on the handles. The doors swung open and the ornate hall was shown. It was still night and as such the hall was filled with darkness. He spread his hands. "Lux," he spoke quietly. Light flared and moved to set positions on the wall.

"How'd you do that?" Astrid asked. Hiccup turned but didn't answer. He walked forward and up the stairs. She followed into a large room with a huge table.

"This room is where meals are eaten," he said. "More commonly, for when I have guests over. I prefer to just eat in the kitchen when by myself. You may do the same if you wish." He pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room. "That door leads to the kitchen." He began to walk to the hall on the left side. "These are guest rooms. That other hall also has guest rooms. You may chose one to stay in."

"Where do you stay?" Astrid asked.

"I stay somewhere else. There are many halls, and you could get lost, so don't wander," he explained. "Let me know if you need anything." He turned and Astrid walked to the closest room. Once she had disappeared inside it, Hiccup walked out to Ravyn where the pack had also gathered.

" _What were you thinking?"_ Ravyn snarled. " _You just let her waltz in here without anything? Is she immune to the rules too?"_

"I don't know," Hiccup admitted. "I'm trying to lessen casualties, but… They were going to kill her to 'appease' me. You know how I hate that kind of thing.

" _Hiccup,"_ Ravyn's tone softened. " _You know that we all care for you."_ She turned her head. " _And I also know that that girl has caused you too much harm. I don't like her Hiccup."_

"I agree with Ravyn," Nyte spoke up. "She's not likely to understand us, or try to. She is here against her own will and will probably stab you in the back first chance she gets. You should at least put up some safety measures and rules."

"I'll do that," Hiccup agreed. "The only problem is that to create a limiter, I'll have to take a few hours."

" _I still say we drop her off the island,"_ Ravyn muttered.

"I'll go make sure she has rules in place. I'll even put a simple tracker on her for now." Hiccup stretched and his stomach growled. The others laughed.

"A little hungry are we?" Nyte said with a smile.

Hiccup smiled back. "Yeah, how about you guys?" This got a cheer of agreement from the others and they all walked back to the kitchen."

* * *

Astrid sat on the bed in the room. It was a nice room and the bed was comfortable. She had plenty of room and the walls were intricately carved. She lay back on the bed and considered her options. She could run, but she had no clue where they were or if there was a ship to take her home. She could try to kill the demon, though he claimed he wasn't a demon, and if she failed, he could kill her. Or completely take advantage of her. Neither idea was pleasant.

Shakily, she stood up. She began to pace as she considered her options. She could run away, try to kill him, or she could simply wait for a better chance. She favored the third option right now, but it could be a problem if she waited too long.

Her stomach growled and she stopped. The demon had told her where the kitchen was, and hadn't said she couldn't eat. She opened the door and opened it to see no one there. She walked to the door and opened it to see a group of people sitting around the table. She saw a motley of people sitting around the table. She didn't see the demon, but she saw people. She saw people wearing simple tunics, and she saw wolves sitting with them. At the head of the table, she saw the dragon. The dragon seemed happy and it growled to each of them, and they seemed to respond. Could they talk to the dragon? What about the wolves. Then the dragon caught sight of her and growled. She shrank back as all the others turned to look at her.

"I was just going to get some food," she explained.

"Well then don't just stand in the door," one called out. "Join us!" He turned to a nearby wolf. "Fastpaw, would you go tell Ryder that we have another with us?" The wolf yipped before turning and running to the kitchen.

"Why would you want me to sit with you?" Astrid asked.

"Why wouldn't we?" The man asked. "If you weren't a guest, you wouldn't have been in the guest halls would you?"

Astrid hesitantly sat down in an open chair that was next to the man. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm Astrid."

"And my name is Grinningwolf," he said with a smile. He was barechested and had a huge grin on his face. His brown hair was shaggy and unkempt while his brown eyes held a twinkle as if he was in on some joke.

"Are you serious?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," He replied. "Don't believe me?" He stepped off his chair and dropped to all fours as wolf fur covered his body. Astrid found herself in front of a wolf that was still smiling. He stood back up and his human form was again revealed.

"I see," Astrid managed. "Do you have a nickname?"

"We just call him pest," another called out. Everyone, including Grinningwolf laughed. "He always have a prank to pull."  
"We call him Smiley," another younger looking girl said. "My name's Nyte, short for Nytewind. You met Smiley, and some of the others are Bloodeye, Darkfur, and Sharpclaw." A man with completely white hair and skin with red eyes nodded in greeting, a small girl with dark black hair waved and smiled, and an older boy who was playing with a knife gave her an untrusting glare.

The wolf ran back from the kitchen and sat back down in its chair. He barked a few times and the others winced. "What's he saying?" Astrid asked.

"Ryder's going to try the automations again," Smiley said. His smile was still there, but it was small.

"What are automations?" Astrid asked.

"Mechanical husks that have been animated," Nyte explained. "He has yet to make them work, but you have to admire his tenacity."

The door to the kitchen opened and several humanoid figures emerged. The head was a smooth metal cylinder. The was like that of a human, but slots in the body allowed gears to show through. The arms were made of metal and the elbows were gears as well. The hands were very humanlike and were expertly crafted and the wrist was a joint that was comprised of a ball in the wrist. The legs were simple and were of the same style as the hands. The whole figure had a slight glow and was shining in the dim light. Each held a platter of different foods. Three had roast hams, while others had mutton, rabbit, or deer. Several carried plates of fruit or salads. Even more carried mugs of ale that they placed in front of each person. The wolves and the dragon were given special containers that were more adapted to their mouths.

"So far so good," Nyte muttered. Astrid waited. The food was set on the table. Then it happened. One of them stopped halfway over one of the other's heads. Then it dropped the platter which only held fruits. The unfortunate man dropped his head on the table and held it.

"Dammit," Nyte cursed. Then Ryder ran in, still in full armor. He raced to the faulty automation, and placed his palm on it's chest. It slowed to a stop.

"I thought that I fixed everything in this one," he muttered. "Sorry about that everyone." He turned to the others. "Automations, please help me remove this faulty model to the workshop." Four turned to their companion and each picked up a limb and carried it out the door. Another picked up the fallen fruits and platter before taking them back to the kitchen.

"About time you showed up," Nyte said with a smile.

"What can I say," he said. "Even with magic, it's hard to prepare a meal for a group like this all by myself." The dragon growled. "You shut up." It made a laughing sound. "Useless reptile." The others laughed. "Yeah yeah. Laugh it up."

Astrid was taken aback. These were not people, but they were as close, or closer than many vikings would be. What was the difference? She sat there with her hands in her lap as she ran things through her mind.

"Aren't you going to eat Astrid?" Smiley asked.

"What? Oh, yeah," Astrid reached for a leg of Mutton.

"Did you do this yourself or did you use magic?" Darkfur asked.

"Even if the automations had cooked it, they only have the knowledge that I put into them," Ryder explained. "That means they can only cook as well as I can."

"When they don't screw up," Nyte chuckled.

"Hey!" The masked being exclaimed. "Last time I tried to teach you to cook, you somehow lit the kitchen on fire."

"Not my fault," Nyte argued with a blush.

"You lit your clothes on fire!" He argued back. "That makes it your fault!" The two continued to bicker while the others laughed and chipped in. Astrid gave a small smile. Maybe, things wouldn't be so bad here.

* * *

The rest of the meal passed without a hitch and as the others left, the automations returned to clean the table. After they left, Astrid turned to walk back to her room before she was stopped. Ryder had grabbed her arm and was now looking at her.

"Before you leave," he said. "There are a few rules. You do not leave the hut. You do not kill anything. And you do not go in any rooms that I have not specifically told you that you can go in. Are we clear?" Astrid nodded quickly and the man released her. She quickly walked back to her room.

After she shut the door, she looked at her room. There were several outfits on the bed along with a note. 'I thought you'd need other changes of clothes.' How kind. He brought her clothes for her while she was his prisoner. What would happen to her? She had seen the wolves and people that were wolves. Maybe they'd eat her? No, they seemed to actually care about her. She stood up. She needed to prepare. She dropped to the floor and began to do pushups. She would need to be in top physical state if she wanted to get out of here.

* * *

Hiccup leaned on the bellows and worked on heating the lumps of ore. Ravyn watched him and yawned. " _I could help you heat that,"_ She offered.

"No," Hiccup replied. "It's better if I do this. I need to do something or I'll go crazy."

" _Is this because of Astrid?"_ She asked.

"I don't know what to do," he sighed. "I want to keep casualties to a minimum, but then this. They were going to sacrifice her to me. One of their own. Luck of the draw, deliberate choice, it doesn't matter. They were going to fucking sacrifice her to me! Who the hell does that?"

" _Insane ones,"_ Ravyn quipped.

"You're not helping," Hiccup drawled. "I saw them. They were scared. They were more fearful while they had less casualties than while they had casualties every raid!" He watched as the molten ore flowed down to be purified. "I can't keep everyone safe, but I try anyway. If it was just the people that I left, I'd leave them to their own devices, but the children. I could never abandon them to that."

" _So what do we do?"_ his friend asked.

"I don't know," he said. He turned back to the purified ore. "I'm going to leave this and take a rest." He stood up and walked out of the workshop and back into the main hall as Ravyn followed. He placed his palm on the floor and the section began to sink. Once it had sunk lower, he stepped off and it returned to the top and the two found themselves in a corridor. It stretched for a distance before a spiral staircase stretched upwards. The stairway was wide enough for a dragon to walk up, and the two were able to get to the top without much trouble.

At the top was a large door with a iron dragon at the knocker. He opened the door to reveal a large room. The bed was spacious and had warms furs on it. The frame was made of stone, and Ravyn laid down on it. On the sides of the room, windows allowed the moonlight to stream in. Beautiful curtains that he had stolen from pirates framed the windows and a few pieces of beautiful art occupied the walls.

Against the wall was a bookshelf that was filled on most shelves, but one large shelf held only four books. His original magic book, an extra tome on summonings and nature magic, his book that held his training regimens and the book on machines.

Next to the shelf was a large wardrobe. Hiccup carefully pulled off his armor and placed each piece in it's place. It was connected to the chest in the hut if you knew the right words. This made gathering things so much easier as he didn't have to place them in specific areas.

Hiccup pulled off his tunic so that he was only in his trousers. He laid down in the bed next to Ravyn and she curled up around him. He closed his eyes to get some sleep, and the restless sleep came.

 **A.N. Alrighty. I am so sorry about how long this chapter took. I've been writing another fanfiction. If you watch RWBY, then you should read it. Hell, even if you don't watch it, you should start. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up faster, but no promises.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. So if you guys missed it, I have been using latin for when Hiccup uses magic. I do not know latin and am just doing what I can. I've been using translators and so if it's wrong, well I'm sorry. Anyway, read and review, and check out RWBY.**

Hiccup woke up with the sun to see Ravyn still asleep. He sighed. He was still tired, but he needed to get stuff done. He stood up and pulled on a new tunic before pulling on his armor. Usually, he wouldn't wear his armor, but with the arrival of Astrid, he needed to so he could stay hidden.

" _At least I didn't have to drag you out of bed today,"_ Ravyn chuckled.

"Ha, ha, I forgot how to laugh," Hiccup drawled. He opened the window and Ravyn stretched. Hiccup stood on the edge and turned back to Ravyn. "Ready?"

" _I thought you'd never ask,"_ Ravyn leaped at Hiccup and he jumped out the window, spinning in midair to land on Ravyn's back. The two approached a steep dive and Ravyn spread her wings seconds before they would hit the ground. Flying low and fast over the ground, Hiccup kept himself as low as possible. They weaved in and out of the trees in the forest and did acrobatics. Spins and loops were incorporated. Hiccup pulled a switch and the tailfin locked into an automatic mode. Ravyn flipped upside down and Hiccup dropped to the ground, rolling to his feet. Ravyn descended to the ground and the two ran through the forest, leaping logs, rocks, and in Hiccup's case, using branches as ways to do more acrobatics and keep up.

They ran towards the edge of a chasm and Ravyn put on a burst of speed, clearing the chasm. Hiccup followed, running as fast as he could. He pulled out a stone and jumped, while turning and releasing the stone at the wall of the chasm. It glowed a deep red before a shockwave of power blasted out, carrying Hiccup to the other side where he rolled to his feet. The two continued their run as they laughed. Ravyn laughed as Hiccup tried to keep up, and Hiccup laughed at the challenge.

They came to the edge of a cliff and both of them leaped. Hiccup jumped up and backflipped while Ravyn dove to get below Hiccup. Hiccup caught up and as they fell from the sky, they saw the bottom of the island, floating in the sky and Hiccup laughed again. The fall was exhilarating and it simply brought human and dragon closer. As the two saw the water, Hiccup pulled himself into the saddle. His foot clicked into the pedal and Ravyn's tailfin snapped out. They pulled out of the dive and flew above the water so fast, it created waves of water shooting out behind the dragon's tail.

Hiccup felt as his leg stiffened and looked down alarmingly. "Alright," Hiccup said to Ravyn. "Time to go."

" _Is your leg bothering you again?"_ She asked.

"Yeah," He answered. "We don't have much time." The two flew up as fast as they could towards the island that floated in the sky. The two of them raced up to the edge and began to fly low above the treeline. Hiccup felt his leg stiffen completely and was unable to control the fin anymore. "Can we land?" Hiccup asked.

" _We can certainly try,"_ Ravyn answered as they came out into a clearing. Ravyn did her best to descend slowly, but the two of them crashed hard into the ground.

Hiccup sat up and coughed his armor had prevented too much damage, but Ravyn might not be the same. "You okay?"

" _Nothing worse than when you found me,"_ She replied.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like a bitch," Hiccup said. He stood up as well as he could and limped over to Ravyn. She stood up and shook her head. "C'mon, we need to get back."

" _Then climb on,"_ Ravyn said as she snorted. " _You're just wasting time."_

"Yeah, yeah," Hiccup said as he climbed into the saddle. "Just please don't throw me this time."

* * *

Astrid opened the door to her room hesitantly. She looked out and didn't see anyone. She was in a fresh change of clothes. They were simple, but weren't too bad. A simple green tunic and cotton trousers. A pair of sturdy boots covered her feet and she had managed to sneak her hair band with her. She used that now to keep her hair back and she quietly crept out of the hall. She walked down the stairs to the main hall and looked out the window. Outside she saw the forest and small birds sat in the trees.

Bushes rustled and she saw the dragon walk through the forest and Ryder on it's back. She watched as he stepped off the dragon's back and unsteadily stood. He walked while limping much like Gobber would. His leg seemed stiff. It wouldn't bend like it usually would. She saw him walk towards a different area and watched as he disappeared into a cave.

Quickly she ran down to the hut. She reached for the handle. Should she? She had been told not to leave the hut, but what was he doing? She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened the door. She looked outside and saw nothing. She stepped outside and closed the door.

Quickly she ran to the mouth of the cave and peered inside. The pathway split in two and one had a warm orange glow. She quietly crept down the tunnel to see the man sit down on a stool and lift up his leg. He undid the lower part of his armor and then undid several straps. Finally, he pulled on his leg, and it came off!

Astrid stared as he lifted the leg onto a bench. It was very intricate and yet was small enough that his armor could cover it. Several sections were connected by gears and straps. He sighed and placed his hand on the leg. Circles of yellow symbols spun around his hands and a yellow glow began to stream between the cracks. He replaced the leg and stood up. Testing its mobility, it was as mobile as if it had been a leg of flesh and blood. He turned and froze as he saw Astrid. She didn't move, and he stormed over.

Coming to her senses, Astrid stepped back and braced herself. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back along the tunnel. Astrid's worry increased as he kept silent. He pulled her through the hut but this time, he didn't light the hall. He dragged her to her room and threw her inside. He turned and shut the door.

"Was I not clear on the rules?" He asked. When she didn't answer, he continued. "I have reasons for rules, and yet you still broke the few rules I gave you. You followed me down the tunnel, so that means you at least had a purpose. Curiosity? Distrust? Maybe to find something to hurt me with? There are knives in the kitchen."

"I just…" Astrid didn't finish. She bowed her head.

"Obviously you have to much free time," he mused. "What to do with you?" He opened the door. "You have two options." He began. "You can choose to stay in your room until I come to get you, or you can follow and we'll find something more worthwhile."

Astrid hesitated. She could stay in relative safety, or she could take a chance on this. She stood up slowly and followed her captor through the door. She followed him back outside and back to the cave, but this time, he walked down the other tunnel. As they walked through, she found herself in an immense room. Along one wall, there were weapons of all kinds, some familiar, and others that were unable to be recognised.

"Choose one," he commanded. Astrid hesitated before reaching for a battle axe that resembled her old one. She tested it, and it was well balanced. She turned towards him and saw he had no weapons.

"What do you want me to do with it?" She asked. He guestured to the other side and a door opened to reveal a crude sculpture of a man carved into the wood. There was no mouth or nose, but it had eyes. It was a simple structure. It's eyes opened to reveal a bright yellow light. Cracks of yellow glow crawled over the being and it stepped out into the room.

"This is your opponent," he said. "Destroy it. If you want to continue, call another."

"What is it?" Astrid asked.

"A Golem," he explained. "Artificial, but it's a Golem nontheless." The golem pulled a wooden sword off it's back. It was thin, but Astrid had no assuptions that it wasn't strong. It swung the sword a few times, and Astrid paid attention to the whistling noise it made. It would hurt to get hit with that, but it shouldn't cause any lasting damage. She stepped forward and the golem leaped into action. It swung down with it's sword, and Astrid sidestepped it expecting the golem to try to pull out the weapon. However the Golem simply alowed the blade to bounce up before swinging upward forcing Astrid to dodge. She stepped back, but the golem continued swinging from all directions, forcing her to evade and use her axe to push back the weapon. The golem stepped inside her guard and without even attempting to use it's sword, smashe it's knee into Astrid's stomache. Her breath left her in an instant and she hunched over. She felt something pierce her back and she looked down to see the wooden practice blade sticking out of her stomach. It withdrew and she gasped. No blood. Nothing damaged, but she could still feel the blade inside her.

"You like that?" Ryder asked. "A little part I added. It works with real time fighting experience. No holding back. The weapons can't hurt you really. Instead, it disolves while it would pierce your flesh. This accounts for the real time fighting experience." She gasped. "Now, they have learned from me. I fight with these regularly. This one is more new than the others. It could have killed you easily. Do not get on my bad side." He stood up and walked away.

* * *

Hiccup walked back down to the workshop and sat down before choking out a sob as he felt bile rise in his throat. He could still see her face. Fear. Absolute terror. Pain. He had put it there.

" _Are you okay?"_ Ravyn asked.

"I don't know how long I can do this," Hiccup said. "I feel so awful."

" _Why?"_ She asked. " _Did she do something?"_

"No," Hiccup answered. "I did. She saw me take off my prostetic. She saw it and disobeyed the rules I gave her. I put her in the training room. She died. And I stood by and watched. And just to top it off, I fucking threatened her!" He sank into his seat. "I don't like what I'm becoming." He pulled out a new book. On it was a leather cover with the detailing of dragons. "We need to end this war."

" _Hiccup,"_ Ravyn said worriedly. " _You have friends. We'll help you. Please."_

"Ravyn," Hiccup said. "That's why I must do it alone." he said. "You are my best friend, but I cannot let you get hurt anymore."

" _But I have to watch as you get hurt?"_ Ravyn cried. " _I am one of the few that actually know what happened to your leg! I watched as you were tormented by her and I could do nothing!"_ Ravyn shuttered. " _Hiccup, even if you can't bear to see me get hurt, I can't let you go alone. I will be with you weather you like it or not."_

Hiccup stood up and walked over to his friend. He bent down and gave her a grateful hug. "Okay Ravyn. Together I guess."

* * *

The trader walked into town. His mask covered his face and his sack was slung over his shoulders. He walked to his usual place and sat down. People still bustled around but it was very subdued. More people than usual stumbled about with what he could only expect to be hangovers. He sold some wares, but most of them were simple tools. A weapon or two would be sold, but nothing of beauty was sold. A child walked up to him and sat down.

"Hello Eira," he said. She had grown in the time he had not been around. "You still have my gift?"

"Yes," she lifted it proudly. She had definitely grown up. Her hair had darkened to a deep brown, and her hazel eyes sparkled with mischeif. She was still young, but she was already someone that others liked if the amount of boys watching her was any indication.

"Good," He leaned back. "Have any questions?"

She thought hard. "What's it like to be alone?" She asked.

"I'm not really alone," he answered. "Memories are great friends, and as long as I have something to do, I don't get bored or lonely."

"I wish I could see where you live," she whined.

"I don't think your parents would like you going to a random person's home," he said.

"They're dead," she answered. "And my uncle could care less." The trader stopped and thought.

"What happened?" he asked.

"My mom got sick," she answered. "She couldn't even stand. My dad wouldn't even let me go into her room. He was the only one besides the healer that went in there." A tear leaked out of her eye. "She died. And not much later, dad got sick too. He died, and I got sent to live with my uncle." She wiped away the tear. "He doesn't like me much. His son died a few days before I came to live with him. Now he rarely comes home without a mug if he comes home at all. My aunt died years ago."

"I'm sorry," the man said.

"It's okay," Eira said. "Others have it worse."

"How so," he asked.

"The Hoffersons," she answered. "They just lost their daughter. Astrid." She sighed. "She was always nice to me even though I couldn't fight very well. She always encouraged me. I asked her why once. She said it was redemption or something." She fiddled with her necklace. "Someone named Hiccup."

The trader froze. "Who is Hiccup," he managed.

"He was the Cheif's son," Eira explained. "It was a while ago. I wasn't really that old. I only know what others said about him. He was strange. He was skinny, and rather short. A lot of people called him a runt." She turned and looked into his eyes. "He had bright green eyes. I remember that. They were like yours." She fiddled with her necklace again. "He changed though. Instead of fighting like normal, he tried to create machines. They aparently never worked how they should. A few people said he was cursed by Loki to balance out his blessings."

"What blessings?" The trader asked.

"He held a beam that would take two men to hold," she explained. "He held it to save a child. He had inexplicable ability to avoid danger and saved Astrid once in the arena." She looked at him shrewdly. "He also seemed to always be in the forest. It was where he spent the most of his time."

"Sound's lonely," the man said.

"I dunno," the girl said. "I think he found a friend. But I don't think anyone would believe that even if I told them that it was a toothless friend."

"What?" the man said as he began to sweat under his mask. Had this child found the secret that no one had ever been able to see?

"Tell me one thing," Eira asked. "Should I fear the Demon? Are you the forgotten?"

The trader knew his secret was out. This child was smarter than he had given credit. "I believe that you are the only one who could answer that." And with that he packed up his wares as the sun had begun to set. He shouldered his pack and turned to the child. "I am not forgotten it seems. I learned a truth that others could not bear to see. I learned the lie of life and the truth of the soul. If you continue searching, you may find what you do not like." He stood and continued only to be stopped by the child again.

"And if I find my truth?" she asked.

"Then pray it does not destroy you," he answered.

* * *

Hiccup walked to the desk and pulled out a parchment. He pulled out a quill and dipped it in ink. He thought and began to write.

* * *

Eira lay on her bed completely confused. She had been bored, but that had only began her search for the knowledge that plauged her now. She had heard the name 'Hiccup' only when Astrid had mentioned it. She had been bored and so she looked for answers. She had asked some of the others her age, but they didn't know him. All except for Erik. He seemed to know him slightly. She had asked Snotlout who was apparently Hiccup's cousin, and all she got was scorn for it. She didn't dare ask the chief, but Gobber knew more than anyone. He was crafty, and smart. He was stronger than he let on, but he hid it well.

Taking pieces of people's stories, she had gotten a little of what to know about the elusive Hiccup Horrendus Haddock the Third. He had claimed to hit a Night Fury and no one had believed him. Right after that, he spent more and more time in the forest.

The best source of information was a small leatherbound book. It sat in an abandoned fire deep in the woods. It held several entries of what she could only assume was Hiccup's writing. It described a friend. Someone named Toothless. It held his frustrations, and several ideas for machines. Most of them were far too technical for her to understand and many entries were burned to the point of unrecognition.

The final piece of the puzzle was the Trader. He was around the same body type as Hiccup and would be about his hight now. His face was hidden, and he always came from the forest. The other part was the Demon. Rider of a Night Fury and no one had noticed that the dragon had a false tailfin on it. All put together with the conversation she had today, she could only come to the conclusion that Hiccup, the Trader, and the Demon were all the same person.

A squeak from her window interupted her. On the frame was a dragon! It was a small green Terrible Terror and as it hopped down from the window, she saw a note on the dragon's back. Quickly but carefully, she reached down for it and it let her take the note before flying out the window and back into the night. She began to read.

 _How did you know,_

 _I did not die._

 _Can't you see?_

 _Could you be blind._

 _Under the sky,_

 _Pick up your head._

 _Leave this be,_

 _I recommend._

 _Violence comes,_

 _Everything changes._

 _Search no more._

With that, the note ended and she pondered the words. It would appear to be a simple warning, but something told her it wasn't. She looked at it. What was with the space in the middle? And the weird stanzas? She turned it this way and that looking for anything. Finally, giving up, she pulled up a loose floorboard and slipped the note into a box in the bottom. As she extinguished her candle, she lay down on her bed and as the note invaded her thoughts, she fell asleep.

* * *

Erik slashed at the dummy with a wooden sword. Each strike hit hard, shaking the dummy. He ran patterns, everyone he could think of. Finally he stopped. Sweat dripped from his head and his heavy breathing was the only sound in the night.

"Your goin' about this all wrong," he heard. He spun around with the sword only to see Gobber. "What ya up to lad?"

"It doesn't matter," Erik said harshly.

"Eh," Gobber said. "It kinda does. Especially when your parents are worried sick."

"I don't care," he snarled. He turned back to the dummy.

"I know ya don't," Gobber answered. "But ya can't just brute force your way past an opponent. Especially that Demon."

"It's not like you tried," Erik said angrily.

"No I didn't," Gobber admitted. "I'd lose. He has more skill in one hand than most ever have in their life."

"So what do you suggest," he said.

"One," Gobber began. "You need rest. You won't beat him if ya can't stand up. Two, you need to have real time training. Unfortunately, we don' have many swordsmen, in the village. And four, you need someone who understands. I'd recommend Fishlegs."

"What happened to three?" Erik asked.

"Eh?" Gobber asked. "Whadya mean three? I only went ta four."

"I think you've been hit in the head too many times," Erik said.

"It's not easy ta get used ta a hammer for a hand. Especially when you're used to slapping your head when frustrated." Erik laughed and Gobber smiled.

"Okay," Erik said as he laughed. "If you can help me, I'll appreciate it."

"Oh you'll be hatin' life later once we get started," Gobber said.

"Oh I doubt it," Erik quipped.

* * *

Astrid lay on her bed looking up at the ceiling. How had it gone to this. The utter reminder of who held the power had was utterly terrifying. The feeling of something being shoved through one's chest is not a pleasant feeling. She lay there terrified. If he fought those things often, then she'd be killed in an instant if he wanted. She sat up. She was at his mercy. There was nothing to do. She'd train. If he could beat those things, she could too. She'd get stronger and escape the island.

 **A.N. Alrighty! I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. I'll try to be faster. I also have another story that I've been putting time into. If you've read it, then great! If not, then first learn what RWBY is and then read it. Anyway, thank you so much for being patient with me. Please review, and give input.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. Okay let's get back into the swing of things! I am not a person who finishes things well. I come up with ideas and concepts, but putting them on paper is much harder. Anyway, read and review, and please help me with the story. Also, apologies for this drunk scene. I am not too familiar with what happens when people get drunk, so I am working with limited understanding.**

Eira woke up as something crashed. She quietly sat up and looked outside. It was still night, but she wouldn't be getting more sleep. She quickly stood up and changed into her day clothes. As she pulled on her sturdy boots, she heard another crash.

"Eira!" she heard. "Git down here." She heard a slurred voice call up. She took a deep breath and began to walk down the stairs. She saw her uncle who was obviously drunk. She saw a few broken pieces of wood. The door was sitting askew on the hinges.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Why'd you lock th' door?" He slurred angrily. "Did ya want me to freeze to death? Answer me you bitch!" He grabbed Eira and pulled her to him.

"You told me to lock the door last time," she answered.

"I sure as hell did not!" He yelled. "Don't lie to me!" He slapped her. "You shouldn't even be here!" He slapped her again. "Worthless bitch!" He pushed her away. "Don't you lie to me again you worthless welp!" She didn't move. He threw the mug and it hit her in the head. She saw stars for a second and turned to pick up the mug. Her uncle walked up the stairs to probably sleep. She put the mug on the table and wiped away a few tears. She could already see some light, but she didn't dare leave. She almost wanted to kill him, but that wouldn't help her. She'd just be arrested and banished for it. As she watched the sun rise, she ran her thoughts over the note again. It was a puzzle, that was for sure. As people began to come out onto the streets, she gained courage. Her uncle was sure to be asleep by now. She began to walk outside before she turned back to her room. She didn't want to leave the note where her uncle might find it.

Quickly getting the note, she snuck back out. She ran out towards the forest and looked back towards the village. She didn't know what to do, but she would figure it out.

* * *

Erik struck again and again with the wooden sword against several others. He spun and ducked under their wooden blades and quickly he rapped them on their ribs, head, legs, arms, and anything he could reach. He stabbed one in the gut and he dropped to the ground, not moving, becoming a part of the terrain. Erik slashed another and smacked one in the head. Finally he was against one, and he feinted right. The opponent moved to block and Erik smirked. He tossed the blade to his other hand and struck. It snuck past his opponent's guard and into his ribs. The opponent dropped and Erik smiled.

"Well done lad," Gobber said as he walked over. "You lot can leave now." The others each stood up and walked away, each nursing their own bruises. Gobber clapped Erik on the back. "You've gotten so much better lad!"

"Will it be enough?" Erik asked.

"Hell if I know," Gobber answered. "The only way to find out, is if we catch the demon."

"Well why don't we?" Erik asked.

"How?" Gobber asked. "He won't fall for the same trick twice."

Erik smiled. "How do you catch anything? You use bait."

* * *

Eira walked through the forest. She was familiar with most of the area, but she wasn't against exploring new areas. She had most of the island mapped out in her head, and she was the one who knew most of the twin's hiding spots. It had made it harder for them to make any progress on their pranks. She walked all the way out to the end of the island that the others called raven point. She had found a small crevice that opened into a cavern looking out over the ocean there and most wouldn't find it, much less be able to get in.

She squeezed through the crack and grabbed a fishing pole she had stashed there. Casting her line out, she thought about the message again. What could it be? Taking out the not again, she looked at it. She held it up to the sun and noticed that a few of the letters were darker than the others. H, I, two C's, U, P, and the L, I, V, E, and S. No it couldn't be that simple. She looked at it, but could find nothing else.

"Hiccup lives?" She wondered. "Why would he tell me this?" She set down her rod in a crevice, and pulled out a notebook from a hole in the wall. She began to write in it. "So Hiccup's alive, the rider knew that. Hiccup disappeared a while ago. The Trader began to sell here a few months later. Hiccup had a friend named Toothless. They have to be the same person. Why would he leave though?"

A pull on the line interrupted her. She ran to the line and pulled it in quickly. It thrashed and she pulled harder. Finally, she pulled up something. It wasn't a fish. It was a dragon! It wasn't any dragon that she had ever seen before. It was long and only had two legs. It had two huge eyes with no visible pupil that blinked at her owlishly. There were no wings, and the tail had several small barbs on the end. She looked at the line and saw that it was hooked into the dragon's mouth. It opened it's mouth and hissed. It's mouth was full of rows of razor sharp teeth. A long tongue lashed out at her and she dove back as it thrashed. The tongue gouged a deep gash in the rock next to it and Eira moved back even farther.

"What kind of dragon are you?" Eira asked.

"It's not a dragon," she heard a voice. An arrow pierced the creature through the head and it stopped moving. A figure in armor on the back of a night fury landed in the cave. She stepped away. "That was a wyrm. Specifically, a Bloodwyrm."

"What's a Bloodwyrm?" Eira asked.

"A dangerous creature. They're a simple bloodsucking parasite to most dragons, but to a human, they are lethal. When it's jaws close on flesh, it immediately begins to drink its fill," he pulled out a stone and held it towards the Bloodwyrm. It's flesh began to shrivel and it soon burst into flame. "They grow as long as they drink blood. New ones come when one gets long enough. They can split themselves into two separate wyrms and then continue."

"Pleasant," she said.

"Yeah," he answered. "You see one, you leave it be. If you dodge the head, the tail will finish you. The barbs are tipped with poison."

"Okay," she answered. "But why are you here?"

"I came to see you," he answered. "I believe we have a mutual friend. The forgotten. I am the scorned. You seek the betrayer?"

"I guess?" She said unsurely. "But why are you helping me?"

"Because I couldn't help another before," he answered. He tossed her a book. "A dragon manual. This one has all the information you guys had and more. It will help explain about them."

"Why me?" She asked. "Why not the Chief? Or Fishlegs? He's the smartest one in Berk!"

"You learned. You looked for answers," he explained. "So I gave them." The night fury turned and he turned with it. It tensed and Eira made a split second decision. She ran towards the duo and leaped for them. As the dragon took off, she grabbed onto it's tail and hung on tightly. The dragon took off and she let out a shout of surprise. The rider turned around and looked at her. He turned back forward and they changed direction. The dragon dove and flicked its tail up. Eira lost her hold and flew up in the air. She screamed as she slowed and began to fall. As she fell faster and faster, she was stopped by something catching her. She looked up to see the rider holding her in front of her.

"That was stupid," he commented.

"No," she countered. "It was a chance."

"Fair enough," he conceded. "But what if I just dropped you?"

"You wouldn't," she said. "I have faith in you."

"You don't even know me," he said.

"Maybe not yet," she said. "But I know of Hiccup, and I'm willing to bet you know more about him than you let on."

"Maybe," he said. The group flew back into the cave and the rider set her back on the ground. "You want answers?" he asked. "Read the manual." And with that the dragon and rider took off again, flying away while Eira watched.

* * *

Astrid struck at the golem again, and it sidestepped. It wouldn't block outright, it's swords wouldn't hold against a full strike. Instead it made adjustments. It would redirect the blow, or simply move out of the way. She moved in and the golem dropped to the ground before rolling backwards away from the attack. When Astrid pressed forward, it pushed itself up with it's feet so that its heels struck Astrid under the chin. The blow raised her off the ground and she fell back. Before she could get up, she felt the swordpoint bury itself in her chest and she gasped at the feeling again. The golem stopped, pulled out it's sword and backed away to the other side of the room.

"Shit," Astrid cursed as she shuddered. "Damn you to hell." She stood and walked away. She leaned against the wall. These things were strong, she'd admit, but she could learn. They were obviously prepared for fighting against people. This one she had fought for a while. It had begun to adapt to her fighting style and she had begun to learn how to fight back. It's sheer unpredictability made it a troublesome opponent. No facial movement, tightening of muscles, or even moving it's stance. It had no visible tells as to what it would do.

She turned back to the golem as it waited expectantly. Astrid turned to the weapons rack. She usually used an axe, but maybe a change in weapon would help her. She looked through the various weapons and saw something strange. It had a single axe blade and on the other side a sharp blade like a dagger. It had been given a much longer shaft. It was different for sure, but it seemed to hold the same principles as her axe. She picked it up and held it in two hands experimenting with swings.

"You're holding it wrong," she heard she jumped and spun with the weapon and saw Nyte.

"What?" she asked.

"You're choking up on it too much," Nyte explained. Astrid was holding it like she would an axe, which made this much harder. Nyte moved Astrid's hand down the shaft so that she was holding the weapon across her body. "The shaft is longer, so you should use it to protect yourself. It's commonly called a shepherds axe, though this one was made specifically for fighting, not as a tool." Nyte took it from Astrid and stepped away.

With it, Nyte spun, holding shaft to block like a quarterstaff. This was followed by spinning the weapon so that the head swung out and cut through an imaginary foe. She continued her imaginary fight, employing short strikes like a quarterstaff, and huge sweeps like a battle axe. She stopped and turned back to Astrid. Handing her the weapon, she smiled. "It'll take some time to learn it."

"Then I had better start," Astrid quipped. Nyte turned and walked back out the door. Astrid liked Nyte. She was nice to her. She wasn't held to a high standard that the village had held her to.

She turned back to the golem and raised her new weapon. She attacked, and the golem rushed to meet her.

* * *

Erik sat in the chief's home across the table from Stoick the Vast.

"What is it?" the chief asked.

"I want to take out the rider," Erik answered. Stoick's head snapped up.

"You have one minute before I ship you off for madness," Stoick said quietly.

"I think we can trap it," Erik said. "The dragon's crippled. It needs him to fly. Remove one and the other falls."

"How do you know?" Stoick asked.

"I had to watch my sister be taken by the demon," Erik explained. "I watched until I couldn't see them anymore. I know exactly what happened with them. The dragon's left tailfin is a prosthetic. A well made one too if I had to guess."

"And?" Stoick asked.

"The dragon is flightless without the rider," Erik explained. "If I can kill the rider, you can kill the night fury."

Stoick froze. This was tempting. But it was a fool's gamble. If the rider ever came back, then all attempts of negotiation was worthless. The rider would not stop until it wiped them from this world if they failed.

"If the rider returns," Stoick answered slowly. "Then we will seek vengeance."

"That's all I ask," Erik answered as he studied the fire in its pit.

* * *

Eira walked home. She had left the manual and the note at her cave, and now she walked. She had eaten some fish, but it was dark out, and she was tired. As she walked, she looked out for any sign of an attack, but she couldn't see a thing.

"Eira!" She heard. She froze. Her uncle stumbled towards her. "I told ya to stay inside!" He waved his mug around. "You should be where you belong!" He lifted a sheet of parchment. "And you'll be someone else's problem now!" Eira's eyes widened.

"No," Eira whispered.

"You should be smiling!" Her uncle said with a drunken malicious smirk. "After all, you only get married once!"

"No!" Eira screamed. She turned and ran. Her uncle chased after her drunkenly. She dodged obstacles, while he just stumbled into them. She gradually gained distance, but it didn't matter, she had nowhere to run. She had no boat or anything. She quickly crawled into her cave and stilled her breathing.

"Where are ya? What? Worried about being married? I'm sure a bitch like you could be tamed by someone more in control!" Her uncle ranted. "What? Not gonna answer?" Silence. "Fine! I'll find ya!" And with that, he lumbered off towards another area of the island. Eira quickly snuck over to her journal and tore out a page. Quickly, she scribbled a note, and tied it tightly. Now how was she going to get it to the rider?

A squeak startled her, and she turned to see a terrible terror watching her. She slowly approached it, and it watched her.

"I don't know if you can understand me," she said. "But I need you to take this to someone." It didn't move. "I need you to take this to Hiccup. Or the Rider. The Trader. The Forgotten. The Scorned. The Betrayer. Any of them." They were all the same person right? "Just please get it to him!"

The small dragon crawled over to her and picked up the note in it's claws. Its wings beat down, and it lifted off. Without wasting time, it flew off into the night, and Eira shrank back into the recesses of her cave.

* * *

Hiccup struck the metal with the hammer continuously. He pounded it, forming a metal band with a simple locking mechanism. The metal was a strong iron, and it wouldn't be broken easily. He left it to cool, and sat down on a nearby stool. He turned to an open book and carefully began to transfer runes from it onto a sheet of parchment. He carefully placed each rune so that it would not interfere with the others. As he finished this he moved to a map that was placed on the wall. Removing several pins, he began to place them in ways that separated areas of the map. Each pin had a rune inscribed on it, and Hiccup looked at his work critically before going back to the metal band. The band would be unable to be moved, but it would be loose enough so as to not cause discomfort

Pulling over the sheet of parchment for reference, he used a set of small metalworking tools to inscribe the runes into the band. As he finished the last rune, he smiled. He pushed energy into the band, and the runes glowed a motley of blues and grays. Blue for protection, and gray for other miscellaneous magics. He lifted the band, and unclasped it. He turned and walked through the tunnels back towards the training room. He walked in to see Astrid with a shepherd's axe. It was strange to see her with it, but it meant she was learning something new at least.

"I thought you were pretty good with that battle axe," Hiccup commented. She turned towards him with confusion and he mentally kicked himself. She still didn't know that he was Hiccup. That was good, but he needed to be more careful.

"What do you want Ryder?" She asked.

"I have something for you," he said. He walked over to her, and moved to place the band on her arm. She drew back and he stopped.

"What is it?" Astrid asked.

"It doesn't matter," Hiccup said as he tried to keep his patience. "You'll wear it."

"Like hell I will!" She snarled.

"You can wear this," he said. "Or you can stay in your room unless you have a chaperone."

She considered this before grudgingly allowing him to place the band on her arm. It glowed in it's blues and grays before dimming so that the runes only had a light tint.

"What's this for?" She asked.

"It has several functions," he explained. "First, it will stop you from going places where you should not. Areas of danger, or personal areas. Second, it will allow me to find you and monitor you should you get hurt or lost. Third, it will stop you from breaking the rules of the island."

"What are the rules?" Astrid asked.

"Stay out of areas that you are to leave alone, don't get involved in conflicts that do not directly affect you, and do not go against the natural order of things." He explained.

"What does that mean?" Astrid asked.

"You don't have to worry about that one," he answered.

"Why not?" Astrid asked.

"You have no power here," he explained. "I have no worries about what you could do to this place."

He walked away and Astrid began to mumble something. He didn't hear anything except a few muttered curses, so he didn't turn back. He left her and walked back towards the fork in the tunnels. The path to the mana stone was hidden, and with the band he gave her, she wouldn't be able to get in there. The last thing he needed was someone messing with the whole island.

" _Sir!"_ He heard. He turned to see a terrible terror flying towards him.

"Yes?" he asked.

" _I stayed on the island like you told me, and I listened to see who used what names you told me, but this girl! She knew every one!"_ It panted. " _She also gave me this and told me to give it to you. I don't know what it says, I can't read human."_

"Thanks," Hiccup said as he untied the note. He read it once, stopped, and read it again. This can't be right.

" _What's it say?"_ The small dragon asked.

"All it says is help. I'm stuck in the cave you found me before. Eira." Hiccup thought about it. "Did you see anyone else there?"

" _I saw some other human running around, but she didn't answer him,"_ the dragon answered. " _She seemed scared of him, if you ask me."_

Hiccup didn't wait a second. He immediately ran towards the hut. "Find Ravyn! Tell her to meet prepare for a new arrival!" He continued his run. He ran into the hut and not having time to change into his trader outfit, he simply grabbed his belt of runes. He sprinted out of the hut and into the forest.

"What are you doing?" Nyte asked worriedly. She easily kept pace with him as they ran through the woods.

"Someone's in trouble," Hiccup responded. "I need to use the stones."

"What?" She asked. "Is this a there and back trip?" She began to sweat. "The stones need at least an hour to cool down between uses!"

"I know!" He shouted. "But I don't have a choice!"

"Then you're going to need help!" Nyte countered. "I'm coming with you!"

"We don't have time for this!" Hiccup said as they came to a clearing ringed with stones. He ran up to one that had a small sign next to it. It said berk on it and Hiccup hesitated.

"You're going to be tired after using this!" Nyte warned. "You'll need help!"

"Fine!" Hiccup said. "But you need to be careful!" He warned. "The people are not even remotely friendly towards people like us!"

"I don't care!" She said. "Let's go!"

Hiccup placed his palm on the stone and began to mutter the words to open the gateway. The stone began to shine and a circle of runes began to shine on the ground around the stone.

"Go!" He called and Nyte dove through the glowing stone while Hiccup followed her. As soon as he passed through the stone, it dimmed and became solid once more. Hiccup felt the rush of energy leave him and he staggered.

"Shit!" Nyte cursed. "Hiccup where do we go?" They were in the cove where he had met Ravyn and had anchored the transport there. Hiccup looked up and saw that a tree had fallen and blocked the way up.

"We'll improvise," he said. He stumbled again and braced his hands against his legs. This was going to be harder than he thought. "Shit!"

 **A.N. And here's a cliffhanger! I know you guy's will probably hate me, but I wanted to give you guys this much story at least so you guys would be able to stay caught up with the story. Anyway, please review, and have a good rest of your day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Alright so thank you for those that review, but please leave reviews. Even if they're just as a guest, it will be fine. Please just read and review, and I'll get back into the story. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

Hiccup stood unsteadily. He wasn't feeling top shape, but he needed to move. He was tired, and he didn't like how they were going so early into this predicament.

"Nyte," he said. "Do you see any vines or anything that could get us up?"

"Yeah," she answered. "There's only a few though." She turned to Hiccup. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said. "We need to move fast. We don't want to get caught in a fight right now." They began to climb the wall, using the vines as support to get up. Nyte reached the top first and helped Hiccup up. The two of them began to run through the forest, unnoticing of two pairs of eyes watching through the bushes.

* * *

The twins had just executed the best prank that they had ever seen. Because of this, they had to run away into the forest while tempers died down.

"Did you see what I saw?" Ruffnut asked.

"No, I saw what I saw," Tuffnut answered. "Did you see the rider and a hot chick just climb out of the cove? Cause that's what I saw."

"You idiot," Ruffnut said as she smacked her twin. "We need to go tell Stoick."

"Before or after he punishes us?" Tuffnut asked.

"Maybe after he punishes you," Ruffnut said. "I'll be following those two while you tell Stoick."

"What? Why?" Tuffnut asked.

"Because we don't know where they're going dumbass," Ruffnut reasoned. "So you get the chief, and I'll follow them, and we'll find out what's going on."

"Fine," Tuffnut said. "But you have to clean the Yak stalls all by yourself if this doesn't work."

"Deal," Ruffnut said. "And if it does work," she smirked. "You have to clean them by yourself."

"Easiest bet ever," Tuffnut snarked as he sprinted out towards the village.

* * *

"Chief!" Tuffnut yelled as he sprinted into the village. He was snagged by a hook and he yelped as he was lifted up by Gobber.

"Ye've got some nerve…" Gobber began.

"It's the rider!" Tuffnut said hurriedly. He's out in the forest!

"Yeh," Gobber drawled. "Sure, and you're not going to prank us again."

"Yeah! Now let me go so I can tell chief!" Tuffnut said. Others were gathering around and were jeering at him, and congratulating Gobber on capturing the greatest nuisance.

"Let me go!" Tuffnut said again. "You believe me don't you?"

"Who can trust you?" One villager shouted. Many others chimed in and they were only silenced by the chief pushing through.

"What is going on!?" He yelled. Everyone quieted.

"Chief!" Tuffnut said. "It's the rider! He's in the forest! And he's with someone else!" Stoick froze. "Ruffnut's following them, and she told me to get you guys."

"Gather your weapons!" Stoick called out. He turned back to Tuffnut. "If this is a trick, there will be Hell to pay."

Quickly, weapons were grabbed and a group of warriors followed Tuffnut into the forest.

* * *

Hiccup and Nyte ran through the woods, leaping over obstacles and moving towards the end of the island. "Who are we helping?" Nyte asked.

"A girl who figured it out," Hiccup answered. "She pieced together everything and knows who I am."

"She know's your real name?" Nyte asked impressed. "That means she's pretty damn smart."

"Yeah," Hiccup acknowledged. "And she's brave as hell."

"I like this girl already," Nyte said.

"I thought you would," Hiccup said. "Problem is she won't be as fast as us. We're running out of time as it is."

"Then let's hurry," Nyte said and they picked up the pace.

* * *

Ruffnut gasped as she tried to keep up with the two that she was following. Finally, she tripped and she collapsed to the ground. She looked up to see them disappear into the trees.

"Dammit," she cursed as she hit the ground. She pushed herself to her feet and turned back the way she came. She began to run as she tried to think of the snippets of conversation she had heard. Something about a girl who was smart enough to figure something out. Something else was part of it, but she couldn't think of what it could be.

She heard crashing in the woods and she saw her brother leading a group of vikings.

"Where are they?" Tuffnut asked.

"I lost them," she admitted. "They were too fast!"

"How could we find them?" The chief asked.

"They came out of the cove," Ruffnut remembered. "Maybe they'll come back there."

"Well," Gobber sighed. "It's not like we have any other ideas."

* * *

Hiccup skidded to the edge of the cliff. Nyte stopped right behind him. Hiccup crouched and swung his legs out over the cliff.

"Is she down there?" Nyte asked.

"That's where she said she'd be," Hiccup said. "I need you to make sure no one takes us by surprise."

"Sure thing," she said. She drew her knives and turned to keep watch. Hiccup began to scale down the cliff, carefully choosing footholds. He slowly made his way down and pulled himself into a cave. A girl slept in the corner and he recognised Eira.

"Eira," he said. "Eira!" She stirred and sat up.

"We came to help," Hiccup said. "Me and one other. How do you usually get out?"

"Through this hole right here," she said as she pointed to a small hole that Hiccup couldn't possible fit through.

"That's not going to work," he said. He stood up and walked to the edge of the cave. "Climb on my back, this is going to be a long climb." She walked towards the edge and looked up.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "That's a long climb."

"I'm sure," he said. "We're running out of time too, so hurry up."

She climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hiccup walked to the edge of the cliff and began to climb up the cliff face. As they got farther up, Hiccup began to get more and more tired. Sweat began to drip down his face. As they got to the top, a hand reached down and grabbed Eira.

"Need a hand?" Nyte asked as she lifted Eira up to the top. Hiccup, feeling the extra weight taken from his back, climbed to the top without any more problems.

"Thanks Nyte," he said as he took deep breaths.

"Eira!" He heard and a man ran towards them with murder in his eyes as she swung a knife towards the group. Hiccup pulled Eira away from the blade and behind him. He had no weapon and was too tired at the moment to do anything. He braced himself for the blade, but it never came.

Nyte stepped forward and crossed her blades, stopping the knife easily. She kicked the man away and Hiccup saw insanity in the man.

"You've thrown in your lot with the demon? Then burn in hell with him!" The man raced forwards and leaped towards them. Hiccup pulled Eira out of the way and Nyte lifted her knives. One blade pushed the knife out of the way and the other was driven through the man's heart. Nyte dropped backwards and used her legs to push the man up and over. The man's body flew and Nyte pulled out her blade as it continued onward. Hiccup, Eira, and Nyte watched as the man's body fell until it disappeared into the water.

"Who was that?" Hiccup asked.

"That was my uncle," Eira answered. "I wish I didn't give a shit about him, but he was my only family. Well, might as well give him a proper send off." She stood up and flipped both hands up with her middle fingers extended. "Fuck you, and I hope you end up in hell."

"You didn't mention she was a badass," Nyte said with a smirk.

"I didn't know," Hiccup answered.

"Question before we do anything else," Eira said. "Are you Hiccup? And your name is Nyte?" She asked the two of them.

"Yeah," Hiccup conceded. "My name is Hiccup. Her name's Nyte. It was just easier for me to disappear rather than face the stubbornness of Vikings."

"Can I see your face?" Eira asked. Hiccup hesitated before taking off his mask and showing his face. Bright green eyes peered out of his face and his auburn hair was messy and unkempt. Hiccup replaced the mask and turned back to Nyte.

"Was there anyone else?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "But we're still running out of time."

"Nyte," Hiccup said. "I don't know how much energy I have."

"Hiccup," she said tenderly. "I know you're much stronger than what you think. We'll be fine."

"Well," Hiccup sighed. "There's no point in waiting." He took a deep breath and turned to Eira. "Climb on, we're going to have to go fast."

"Oh no you don't," Nyte said. "I'll carry her. You need to be able to get us home."

"Fine," Hiccup said, recognising the logic.

Nyte dropped to all fours and a pelt began to cover her. A dark black wolf was soon all that was left of Nyte and she looked at Eira. The wolf was still too small to carry Eira. "Nyte, you're too small." Hiccup said. She barked at him and walked away. She began to grow. Soon she was taller than hiccup. Her front paws were more like a human's, and she seemed more agitated.

"I didn't expect that," Eira said.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "She's going to be tired later. Using a lunar form is much more tiring."

Nyte gestured to her back and Eira climbed onto her back. She wrapped her hands in fur and held on tightly as the wolf bounded forward. The wolf was fast, but not faster than Hiccup who raced along side them with ease. Eira smiled at the new world of things that she had been introduced to.

* * *

Stoick and several others lay in wait in the shadows as the watched the cove. So far, nothing, but there was a chance. Some had complained, but Stoick was not going to miss an opportunity like this if it was real. The ones who could shoot a bow had their bows and many had weapons at hand. Tuffnut and Ruffnut had established a way to communicate with sounds between the two of them, and Ruffnut waited with them. A hoot echoed through the forest and Ruffnut perked up.

"What is it?" Stoick asked.

"He's seen them," she supplied. "They're on their way."

"Ready your weapons," Stoick said.

They didn't have to wait long as they saw the armored figure skid to a stop at the cliff. Next to him was a huge beast that resembled a wolf. The man began to lift something off the back of the wolf, and someone loosed their arrow. It struck true in the figure's shoulder.

* * *

"Augh!" Hiccup shouted. "Fucking dammit!" The arrow was in his shoulder and he grasped it. He needed mobility of his arm. He pulled it out and tossed it to the side. "Nyte," he said. "Get Eira to the gate safely! I'll buy you time." The wolf nodded before turning and grabbing a vine. She began to climb down, using the vine as extra leverage. Hiccup turned to the direction where the arrow had come from and watched. Another three arrows flew towards him and he dropped to the ground, hissing in pain from the wound. He pulled out a stone and activated the rune. A sword appeared in his hand and he brought it in front of him. It was a simple short sword, but it had some surprises. Another arrow flew towards him and he swung his blade, shearing the arrow in two lengthwise and the halves split around him.

Vikings began to charge towards him and he looked at Nyte. She was only halfway down the wall, and no one had fired at her yet. The first viking stepped towards him and swung his heavy hammer. Hiccup sidestepped and flicked his blade out opening a small cut underneath the warrior's eye. He stumbled back and Hiccup slammed the hilt of the sword into the man's head. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, and Hiccup turned to deflect the next strike from a man with an axe. He simply moved out of the way of the heavy swing and struck again with his sword. The blade cut into the man's arm, and he stumbled away, holding his wound. Hiccup didn't hesitate and leaped to the next opponent. The opponent however didn't try for reach, but struck with his fist. He hit his wound and Hiccup cried out in pain. He stepped away and glanced at Nyte. She was almost at the rock, and Hiccup was running out of energy. He turned and ran towards the edge. He leaped and brought his hands together in a dive as he held his sword in a reverse grip. He hit the water and swam towards the side.

As he surfaced, arrows struck the water. He pulled himself out of the water and another arrow pierced his back through a crack in his armor. He cried out but kept moving. He moved to the stone as quickly as he could and began the incantation. He didn't dare move, but put all effort into the gate. Another arrow found it's mark in his back and he gritted his teeth from the pain.

"Go!" he yelled. Nyte leaped through the rock with Eira on her back. Hiccup gritted his teeth and dove through the rock and the gateway closed behind him. He looked around and was relieved to see the familiar forest of the island. "We made it." He said quietly. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed with his blood running out of him profusely.

* * *

Eira climbed off Nyte's back and Nyte began to shrink. She straightened, and she came back to her usual clothes. Nyte turned to Hiccup and her eyes widened.

"Hiccup!" she shouted. Eira turned and looked at Hiccup's prone form where blood pooled around him. Nyte raced to his side and lifted him. "Hiccup!" She shouted. She placed her ear on his chest.

"He's got a heartbeat!" She called. "RAVYN!" She screamed. A crashing came through the forest and Ravyn bounded out into the clearing. Nyte felt relief flood through her.

" _What is it?!"_ Ravyn asked worriedly.

"We need to get Hiccup back so we can help him," Nyte said as calmly as she could. "He has several arrows in him and he already pulled out one."

" _What happened?!"_ Ravyn shrieked.

"We ran into some trouble," Nyte answered sheepishly as she felt her fears about Hiccup begin to resurface.

" _Obviously!"_ Ravyn snarled.

"What's with all the screaming?" a girl with dark black hair raced in.

"Darkfur!" Nyte smiled. "Quick! You need to go and find the Druid Elder! Bring him to the workshop as fast as you can!"

"On it!" She said as she turned into a wolf and raced off again.

"We need to get him to the workshop," Nyte said.

" _We are not done talking about this,"_ Ravyn said. " _You and him will be hearing from me."_

"I get it you insufferable reptile," Nyte answered though she was much more concerned about Hiccup at this point..

* * *

Nyte laid Hiccup face down on the table and looked at her bloodstained clothes. That was going to be hard to wash out. She looked at Hiccup and saw how pale he was. "The Druid had better get here soon." She said.

" _Well we can't really wait,"_ Ravyn said. " _You need to take off his armor."_

Nyte nodded and carefully turned his head and lifted off the helmet and looked at Hiccup's pale face. She felt her worry spike and she pushed it down as best she could. She continued removing what armor she could and felt bile rise in her throat as she looked at the nasty arrow wounds. She left the armor on his torso because of the arrows sticking out of his back.

"He's here!" She heard Darkfur cry. She turned to see a tall man with a large wooden staff walk in. He was obviously the elder judging by the salt and pepper graying of his hair and the confidence that practically radiated from him. He walked over to Hiccup and rubbed his chin in thought.

"Are the arrows broadheads?" he asked.

"What?" Nyte asked. "I don't know."

"They probably are," he said. "That makes it worse. He pulled one out?" He asked. Nyte nodded and he sighed. "Then he's lucky he hasn't bled out yet. I need you to hold him down."

"What?" Nyte asked. She did as she was told and the druid grasped the arrows firmly. He grabbed the base of the arrow and snapped the shaft. Hiccup, though unconscious, thrashed about as he moaned in pain. Nyte held him down as much as she could as the Druid moved to the next arrow. He snapped the shaft again and Hiccup cried out in pain. The druid then moved and began to undo the armor. As he took off the armor, Nyte saw the huge embedded arrowheads and gasped.

"How many arrows were released at him?" The druid asked.

"Many," Nyte answered. "There were so many, but most just bounced off his armor."

"That makes sense," the druid commented. "I wouldn't expect many to be able to

successfully hit in between the chinks in the armor." He moved to the wounds with a small metal tool. He inserted it into the wounds and began to fish around inside. He stopped and using his other hand to spread open the wound, pulled out a nasty arrowhead that was covered in blood. He placed it on the table before moving to the next one. He repeated the process before pulling out the head and placing it on the table.

"The wounds aren't too deep," he said. "This should have no complications." He pulled out a needle and thread. "I need you to keep him still," he said. Nyte readied herself again and the druid threaded the needle. He then began his work. He pulled the needle in and out of the flesh, pulling it closed and Nyte felt a wave of nausea. He finished and tied the stitch before moving to the next one. He continued the process and then when finished motioned to Nyte to move. Nyte did and he turned Hiccup over. Then with the gaping wound in his shoulder, he hissed.

"This is a nasty wound," he said. "It will scar." He then began again, pulling the needle through his flesh.

As he finished the last stitch, he breathed out in relief. "He will live," he said. "But he'll have those scars the rest of his life." he turned to Ravyn. "You need to let him get some rest for a long time," he said. "Where is his room?" he asked.

" _We can't get there without him,"_ she said. " _He designed it that way."_

"I see," the druid said as he rubbed his chin. "He seems to also be suffering from a deficiency of energy. Am I to assume there is a mana pool here?"

"There is," Nyte answered. "We can take you there."

"That might be the best place to help heal him."

* * *

Astrid finished eating and began to clean up the food that was still around. It had been a while since Ryder had left. It was weird. What had he left to do? She opened the door and began to walk towards her room til she heard voices. She stopped. Then she began to walk back towards the entry hall. The voices grew louder and she stopped at the top of the stairway. She didn't see anyone but she saw people walk around to the other side of the stairway. She crept down and didn't see anyone. She saw another stairway and tried to walk down it but found something pulling her back. She looked at the band on her arm and saw it brighter than usual. She pulled harder and it pulled her back. It wasn't just her arm though. It was like she was trying to push herself through a wall. She stopped and stepped back. She sprinted at the opening and hit something solid instead. She stumbled away and looked to see nothing there.

"What the hell is this thing?" She snarled at the band. She wasn't getting through that way. The Ryder hadn't been around for a while. This could be her chance. She took a few steps back and watched the entrance. No one came up. She turned and ran. She opened the door and looked back. No one else was around. Quickly she ran through the hut and out the door. She closed the door and listened. Nothing.

Where would she go? She had no idea where anything was. She picked a direction and began to run. She ran through the woods, moving in a certain direction and not deviating from her chosen path. She ran farther until she hit something with her shoulder and spun to the ground.

"What the hell?" she asked as she looked around. She moved towards the direction and found something pushing back. It was a wall that was not directly in front of her, but at a curve. "I guess I can't go that way," she mused. She began to run along the curve, using her hand as a way to track the barrier. She continued and wondered how big this island was.

* * *

Hiccup felt… something. He was tired, but he could feel energy soaking into him. With passing time, he felt more and more energised. Then the pain hit him. He felt it in his shoulder and back and gasped. Light began to filter through his eyelids, and he slowly opened his eyes. He could feel something sloshing against his arm, and he turned his head to see his arm submerged in the water that shined with an ethereal light.

"Hiccup?" he heard and he looked to see Nyte watching him worriedly. Eira stood behind her, and one that he recognised as the Druid elder was checking Eira for any injuries.

" _Hiccup? Are you awake?"_ He heard. He turned to see Ravyn watching as her claws dug into the floor.

"I'm awake," he groaned. He tried to sit up and felt pain course through him.

"Don't move!" He heard the elder call. Hiccup stopped.

"What?" He asked.

"You've been seriously injured and you want to just get up and go?" the elder asked angrily. "Are you this stupid all the time?"

"Nyte," Hiccup asked. "Where is my heal rune?"

"On your armor," she said.

"Get it," he said. "I need it. I can't just wait right now."

"You already have suffered a massive energy drain!" The elder cried. "You cannot just begin again!"

"Do you know how runes work?" Hiccup asked.

"I do not use runes," he confessed.

"I do," Hiccup said. "I prepare for these situations by storing power in a rune so that they are ready to be used without draining my energy."

"I got it," Nyte called. She ran in and handed Hiccup a stone which he pressed to his chest. It began to glow a dim white light, and Hiccup relaxed as it began to take effect.

"Could you get Astrid and bring her to the main hall?" Hiccup asked.

"Sure," Nyte answered and she turned back down towards the main hall.

"I prepared many different runes for healing," Hiccup explained. "If I use them, the pre stored energy will heal me as much as it can before destroying itself. If it cannot heal me anymore, it simply deposits the energy back into me."

"So you won't use any magic?" the elder asked.

"No," he said. "Some runes don't store energy very well, but for the most part, they'll be fine." He stood up and rolled his neck. "This isn't the first time I've overtaxed myself."

"I understand sir," the elder apologised.

"It's okay," Hiccup said. "I just have a certain timetable to keep."

"Hiccup!" Nyte called. Hiccup turned to see her running in. "Astrid's gone!"

Hiccup's face darkened as a horrid scowl covered his features. He covered his face with one hand and through his fingers he looked at Nyte. "You better find her, because if I do, I just might kill that fucking, idiotic bitch!"

 **A.N. Okay, so sorry for taking so long to make this chapter. I've been working on this chapter and another chapter for another fanfic. I kinda have been switching between the two and I finally finished this one. So anyway, leave a review, and have a good day.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. Alrighty! So you guys like this story and are giving me reviews. If you watch RWBY, then read my other fanfic and leave your reviews. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

Hiccup angrily strode out and quickly moved through the hall and outside. He turned down to the workshop and Nyte followed. He moved to the map and lifted a small stone off the table, no bigger than a marble. He tossed it at the map and it stuck. It was outside the areas that were marked off by the pins it slowly began to move towards the edge of the island and Hiccup turned to Nyte. "Found her." He turned back to the map. "You have five minutes head start. Then I'm coming."

Nyte paled slightly and dropped to all fours. She raced out and a howl echoed down the hall. Hiccup reached for his mask. "Why did things have to get so messy?"

* * *

Astrid continued along the barrier, keeping her hand against it so she could keep track. A howl echoed through the forest and she looked behind her. They knew. She picked up her pace, now moving faster, but still keeping track of the barrier. Another howl sounded and it was closer. Barks and yips were moving straight for her. They couldn't have known where she was that quickly! She began to move faster and she heard the howling even closer. She immediately began to run, all the while continuing along the barrier.

* * *

Hiccup walked outside and Ravyn greeted him. " _We going after her?"_ She asked.

"Yes we are," Hiccup said. He climbed into the saddle and Ravyn took off. The two flew out into the forest and the weaved through trees. He could hear the howls and barks of wolves so he followed them for a little bit, but they began to pass them. Hiccup wasn't quite as angry as before, but he was still furious. She would be punished, how, he didn't know yet, but she would pay.

* * *

Astrid continued to run and she looked behind her. A huge group of wolves were gaining and she was starting to tire out. She saw a ledge in front of her and the ground below it. She wasted no time, and jumped, rolling to her feet. She turned and looked up. The wolves all were looking down at her, but they weren't going anywhere. They just were watching her. She saw one slowly stand up, and she recognised Nyte.

"Astrid," she said quietly, just barely loud enough to be heard. "Slowly walk towards us, we'll get you out."

"What?" she asked. A low rumbling was heard, and she turned. A whispering death was boring through the earth, and had just popped it's head up. It turned towards another hole, and Astrid saw a nest with several eggs. The dragon didn't seem to have seen her, but it would smell her soon. She began to back away slowly. She got closer and closer to the wall, and heard a snap. She looked down and saw a small branch under her heel.

A roar attracted her attention again and she looked up to see the Whispering Death bearing down on her. She froze and clenched her eyes shut, waiting for death to take her. A shriek erupted from the side, and something shot by, grabbing her arm and pulling her up. She was placed on a saddle and she opened her eyes. The Rider's back was to her and he didn't look back. The night fury that he rode dove to the wolves below. As the dragon landed, he stepped off. He turned back to the Whispering death who was staying near the nest, though was snarling at him. He tapped the side of his head, and activated a rune inscribed inside his mask. He spoke but it wasn't normal. Instead, it was in the roars of the whispering death. She stared at him. A few more roars echoed and the Rider turned back to her. He climbed back onto the saddle and they took off again, though this time, it was much calmer. The wolves all yipped and turned back the way they came. Astrid felt her fear begin to grow and she pushed it down. It would be fine, she was fearless Astrid Hofferson. She didn't fear anyone. She looked at the Rider again and her fear spiked. As much as she could deny it, it didn't change the fact that she was scared of the Rider.

* * *

Erik sat with the other teens. Snotlout was sitting with the Chief as the heir, and the twins, after being caught pranking the old coot Mildew again, were now having to wash every dish by themselves. They'd be doing that for a month, and for every dish that didn't get cleaned, they'd have another day. For most people, that wouldn't be much more than a chore, but the twins found it torture. They absolutely hated all forms of menial work. A beating wouldn't do much, because they seemed to enjoy the pain. The Chief knew that, and he was definitely exploiting it.

He considered the events of the attack. At least that's what they called it. Especially when the body washed up on shore. Eira's uncle, who he had generally avoided, was dead and Eira was missing. The best guess anyone had was that he had kidnapped Eira and killed her uncle, though Erik wasn't to mad about that. The fact that Eira was missing was troubling him. They needed to get rid of the rider. That much was obvious. How to go about it though? He looked at the twins and got an idea.

* * *

"You lost the bet," Ruffnut said.

"No you did!" Tuffnut argued.

"Technically," Erik said as he strolled up. "Neither of you won. Your plan worked, but it didn't work out."

"He's got a point," Ruffnut said.

"Where?" Tuffnut said. "He doesn't have any needles."

"I have a proposal for you," Erik said calmly.

"You can have Ruffnut," Tuffnut quickly answered. "I don't swing that way."

"Not that kind of proposal you dumbass!" Ruffnut snarled. "What is it?" She asked Erik with glee. "Anything involving mayhem?"

Erik smirked "How good are you a building traps?"

* * *

Eira looked around her with awe. She was inside the entrance hall and the light from outside illuminated everything. She walked from the ornate hallway out into the open and looked for the windows. They were nowhere to be found. She walked to the base of the mountain and looked down the tunnel. The tunnel split off into two areas, and one of them was a workshop. She walked down to it again and looked around there was a man shaped machine sitting in the corner, and several models hung from the ceiling. Designs were scattered all over the desk. She picked one up. On it was a humanoid figure. It was covered in a heavy armor, and in it's hands, a sword pointed down into the ground. Next to it was another figure. This one had a marker on it that said 6 feet. The first figure was easily five times that size. What could this be? She looked around and saw a few other designs around and a book sat in the middle. She looked at it. The title said mystical creatures. She opened it. There was extensive knowledge, drawings, and explanations about a multitude of creatures. She turned to the front. Dragons were in the back according to the table of contents. She flipped through them and saw differences almost immediately. While in the book on Berk portrayed the dragons as mindless beasts, this book had much more detail on mating habits, diet, protective measures, and everything that could be asked.

She flipped through a few more pages til she got to the back. The Fallen? She read through it and her eyes widened. She began to read aloud.

 _The Fallen is a dragon of immense proportions. It is easily the size of a mountain and is seemingly lazy. I have only seen the head, but that alone would be large enough to crush all of Berk. It devours dragons whole that do not bring enough food. Those that try to go against this dragon are inflicted extreme pain. With six eyes, it has no blind spot. The only reason that it doesn't attack directly is because it is too lazy to do so. Avoid this dragon at all costs, though I have only seen one in existence. Said by Vikings to be the offspring of lightning and anger._

Under this was a rough sketch of a dragon head. If it was as big as was written, then no matter what they did, they couldn't beat that thing. Offspring of lightning and anger? The Night fury was the offspring of lightning and death. Maybe it was a coincidence? She turned to the next page and was greeted by something almost blank.

 _The Stardust Dragon is the one dragon that I know of in the northern region that I have not seen. The only information I have on this dragon is what I learned while living on Berk. This dragon is seen as the one benevolent dragon that is the offspring of righteous anger and the understanding of death._

There's the death again. And anger. Something was off about it. Taking a blank sheet, she took a pencil and began to write. Above the fallen, lightning and anger. Above the night fury she wrote lightning and death. Above the Stardust Dragon, she wrote death and anger for simplification. Immediately she saw the pattern. Quickly she drew a triangle. Each dragon was at a point and under each dragon's name was the one that they were not the offspring off. The Night fury was anger, the Stardust dragon was lightning, and the Fallen was death. What was it meaning then?

* * *

As the dragon landed Astrid felt her fear spike again. What would happen to her. The rider stepped off the dragon. He walked away and Astrid didn't move. The dragon huffed at her and she was shocked out of her stupor. Astrid stepped down but didn't move. She opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. She tried to speak again, but nothing came out. Finally she spoked.

"What's going to happen?" She asked.

The rider stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you going to kill me? Or at least, I dunno, hurt me?"

"What's the point of saving you?" He asked. "If I'm just going to kill you?" He continued towards the tunnel. "Just go to your room." Astrid left and Hiccup began to walk down the tunnel toward the workshop. As he walked in, he saw Eira reading his book on the magical creatures.

"Find something?" He asked. "I haven't finished writing that yet." She looked up guiltily. "You're okay," he reassured her. "I hadn't told you to stay out."

"Okay," she said. "I may have found something, but it's probably nothing."

"What is it?" He asked.

"Well," she said. "Look at this." She handed him a piece of parchment. He looked at it. The Fallen was death, the Stardust dragon was the lightning, and the night fury was anger. Maybe it was just because of the legends of Vikings, but it still made sense.

"Where are you going with this?" he asked.

"Well," she said. "You ride the Night Fury, and the Fallen is the big dragon controlling the raids right?" Hiccup nodded, surprised at her speedy understanding. "So if we find the Stardust Dragon, we might have the last piece of the puzzle."

"Well," Hiccup said. "This is better than anything that I have." He looked at her. "First, we need to get you a dragon, and you need to rest."

"Sure thing," Eira said. She stood up and Hiccup led her out.

"You'll stay in one of the guest rooms," Hiccup said. "We'll give you some training and then we'll go and get you a dragon."

"Okay," she said. Hiccup began lead her out of the tunnel. They walked in through the hut and up into the great hall. They walked through to the dining hall and to the hall where he knew that Astrid was staying. He passed her room and gestured to the room next door.

"Here's your room," he said. She walked in and turned back to him.

"You're not joking?" She asked.

"I know it's a step up from Berk, but yes, you're staying here," Hiccup said.

"This is beautiful," she said.

"Dinner's in about an hour," He said. "I'm glad you like it." With that he walked back to the dining hall. As the door shut the door next to her's opened. Astrid peeked out.

"Eira?"

* * *

Astrid pulled Eira into her room and closed the door. "What are you doing here?" She hissed. "Did you get… sacrificed too?" She asked.

"What?" Eira asked. "No!" She crossed her arms. "I asked to come here!"

"Why the fuck would you want to come here?!" Astrid cried.

"Because I trust Hiccup!" Eira answered.

Astrid froze. "Hiccup's dead," she said. "We found his blood in the cove! A dragon ate him!"

"What?" Eira asked. "He's here on the island! He's the one that brought me here! He's the rider!"

"No," Astrid said. "Not possible." She looked around. "He must have tricked you. He's not Hiccup."

"He answered to his name," Eira said stubbornly. "Besides, why would he lie? He even saved me!"

"No," Astrid said. "Eira, whatever you think you saw, he is a demon, he is not Hiccup."

"Okay," Eira said. "C'mon, I'll prove it." She walked out the door before Astrid could say anything and Astrid gave chase. Eira quickly ran into the dining hall and hearing the clanging of dishes, turned to the door. She pushed open the door just as Astrid came in.

"Hiccup?" Eira called. He turned, his mask off as he needed to see what he was doing unhindered.

"Yeah?" he asked. He froze. Eira looked at Astrid and saw her looking at him she was frozen. The unthinkable happened. Astrid's eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed.

* * *

Erik watched as the twins worked. Their design was… strange. But in all his years, the two never failed when building traps. If this worked, there would be no problem. The twins were busy with several ropes that they had tied to various things around the village. It was a mess, but also was well above the roads, so no one walked into it. The finale should bring down the rider. He'd kill him, and the chief would kill the dragon he rode. Erik gave a cruel smile. Nothing could stop this, and he'd never want to.

"Why are the twins getting to do this?" He heard Snotlout say.

"I dunno," Gustav piped up. "But they are good at traps."

"But why put all this time into a trap when we could just kill the bastard?" Snotlout countered. "Just put another person as bait, and when the Rider comes down, fill him with arrows before severing his spineless neck."

"Uh, people need a spine to live," Fishless said. "To not have a spine would be-" Snotlout glared at him. "Right."

"The reason the Rider is here," Mildew shouted in his usual tone. "Is because Stoick didn't throw the useless runt into the sea when he was born!"

"You're both idiots," Erik snarled. "You think we should just put another person on the line?" He snarled at Snotlout. "Well maybe you'd like to volunteer!" He turned to Mildew. "And you! Hiccup saved my life, and lifted a beam that would take usually two vikings to lift! He wasn't useless! He did more in his short life than you ever could!"

Erik let out a breath. He needed to keep his head straight. This could end up being the solution to everything. If he was right, there would be a raid tonight, and this would be the perfect time for the trap.

* * *

Hiccup paced. Astrid was passed out in her room and Eira was watching him. "I'm sorry!" She said. "I didn't know you didn't want her to know!"

"It's fine," he said. "It'll just complicate things a bit." He stretched. "I don't have time for this." He began to leave. "I need to go. If Astrid wakes up, get Nyte. She'll know what to do." He walked away, mentally preparing himself for the raid. As he walked out Ravyn walked over.

" _What happened?"_ She asked.

"Astrid found out," Hiccup said.

" _And what happened?"_ Ravyn pressed.

"She fainted," Hiccup said. "I mean, it must be hard seeing a ghost." He sighed. "Well, it's time to go."

" _Don't do anything stupid this time,"_ Ravyn said.

"Yeah yeah," he said. "Nagging reptile."

Ravyn took off while Hiccup clung on. As the two flew, they turned towards Berk and Hiccup watched for dragons. The night darkened and dragons came into view. Terrors and Nightmares flew in front while Gronckles sat in the center. Nadders flew on the bottom while Zipplebacks flew in the back. This was very normal and Hiccup simply took not before the two flew up above the flock. Berk would be coming into view soon. They had gotten too used to early morning raids. This should be less expected. The only people who should be awake would be too drunk to fight. All in all, it shouldn't be a problem.

* * *

"Dragons!" The shout came up as dragons flew down, stealing food, leaving people alone and simply trying to get food. Terrors ran interference, distracting vikings. Nightmares dropped in to give them support, and the Nadders used their flame to herd the livestock into the waiting claws of others. Zipplebacks would flush out the hidden flocks with their explosions. Everything was going to plan. Those that got caught knew that it was better to get captured for the arena. Hiccup would get them out anyway. No problem.

A catapult launched a rock into the sky and Hiccup leaned down. "Ready?"

" _Always,"_ Ravyn answered.

"Then let's go," he said. They climbed into the sky before turning and diving towards the catapult. A shriek left Ravyns mouth before she launched a blast into the catapult, shattering it. They pulled up, flying back into the darkness. They reached the top and Hiccup looked for the next catapult. The dragons were beginning to retreat, and they needed to be protected. They dove again, a shriek cutting through the night before Ravyn launched a blast into the catapult, destroying it too. They climbed again and Hiccup turned. All the Dragons had escaped.

"RIDER!" He heard the chief shout again. He turned. There were several tied up dragons all in the village square. Several vikings stood around them, weapons raised. This was new. Usually, they'd be taken to the arena. The chief called again. "RIDER! COME DOWN HERE OR WE KILL THEM!" Hiccup felt rage building in his chest and Ravyn growled underneath him.

"Let's go," he said.

" _It's a trap,"_ Ravyn said.

"I know," Hiccup acknowledged. "But they can't stop us." The two dove down and pulled up into a glide towards the center. Ravyn landed and Hiccup stayed on her back.

"We had a deal," Stoick said.

"No," Hiccup said. "You had a sacrifice. I would have left her, except you were so set on sacrificing her, I had to take her or leave her to die." He shook his head. "I wonder if you heard this before. 'A chief protects his own.'" He laughed. "Doesn't seem like it." The chief's face reddened with rage.

"How dare you," he snarled. "You kill us and take our people."

"No," Hiccup cut him off. "One you freely gave, closer to forced her on me. The second person asked for me to take them off this island. The one that died? He was attacking a child. But I suppose you ignored that this time too."

Stoick was speechless. It was just like Hiccup. Bullied, but he had ignored it, thinking Hiccup would get stronger from it.

"Now you will release the dragons, or I'll do it, and you'll have many injuries." Hiccup said.

"I don't think so," a voice said. Hiccup turned and a bola wrapped around him, yanking him off Ravyn. Immediately a rope on the bola tightened and yanked him farther. A net was dropped on Ravyn and a mechanism began to work. It pulled each dragon down different streets, each dragon growling.

"Impressive trap," Hiccup drawled. "Who's the mastermind?"

"I am," a voice said. Hiccup turned to see Erik walk up. "You took something from me," he pointed to Ravyn. "Now I'm going to take something from you." Stoick grabbed a massive axe and began to walk to Ravyn. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. "No!" He struggled as he felt energy building up inside him. It was unbound, no telling what it could do. "NO!" He released the energy with his anguish. He felt energy spike through his veins as a red glow began to come from his skin. He brought his arms up and the ropes around him snapped. His armor began to glow as heat coursed through them. Fires began to flicker on his armor and he roared. Stoick raised the axe, and Hiccup raised his arm. A beam of white hot fire blasted out, it was no thicker than a pencil and it slammed into the axe. The axe was blasted away, and vikings leaped away as the axe melted. Hiccup lifted a stone off his belt and activated it. A scythe began to form, and the fires began to die. The glow dissipated, but Hiccup didn't stop. He raced to Ravyn and tapped a piece of metal on the fin. It locked into place and a small rune glowed.

"Fly," he said. Ravyn listened and took off.

* * *

The plan was falling apart in front of him Erik felt fear now. This was utter madness. The rider had a weapon, had given his dragon the ability to fly without him, and was now wreaking havoc on the village. He had one word to say about this. "Shit."

* * *

Hiccup was furious. Forget not maiming, he didn't care. He spun his scythe, knocking Vikings away with strikes to their armor, a large viking with a peg leg charged and he sliced the leg out from under him. The viking felt to the ground and tripped several others. Hiccup wasted no time. He ran down a street, and leaped to the roofs. Each rope he encountered, he cut. Leaping to each dragon that was in separate areas, he cut through the ropes, and moved to the next one. Each viking that faced him was defeated. He removed a few fingers, and one lost an arm, but no one died. Finally with the last dragon free, Hiccup ran towards the arena. Vikings quickly gave chase and Hiccup turned. He gave a whistle, and raised his scythe. He began to pour energy into the runes on the scythe and it began to glow, fires rippling across the blade. The vikings slowed and Hiccup spun the scythe quickly, making a wheel of fire. He swung the scythe and a wave of fire spread out, and Vikings ran. Hiccup leaped and landed on Ravyns back. He hooked in his foot and the two of them flew off into the night.

Hiccup looked back. "That was too close." He snarled. "We need to end this war, once and for all." He just needed to stay awake for the flight back. It wasn't too far. It was just that he felt so tired. He slapped himself and the pain gave him a rush of clarity. They didn't have much time, they needed to find that dragon. It was a flimsy plan, but it was the best they had.

As they got closer to the island, Hiccup watched for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. As the two of them landed, Hiccup stumbled out of the saddle. As the two walked inside, Nyte walked out.

"Hiccup," she said. "Astrid's still not awake."

"Just as well," Hiccup said. "I'm about to pass out. I'm in no condition to talk to her right now."

" _I'm rather tired as well,"_ Ravyn said. " _I think that we need to sleep before doing anything."_

"Agreed," Hiccup said. Nyte nodded and walked back up the hall. Hiccup and Ravyn both made the trek to Hiccup's room, though they couldn't even remember their walk if they wanted too. They were just too utterly spent to acknowledge anything. As the two climbed into the bed, Hiccup could only think that he couldn't bear to lose Ravyn.

 **A.N. Alright! So the chapter's finished. Please review, and read my other story for RWBY. I've been contemplating starting another story, but I'm trying to wait until I've finished one of the ones I've already started. Anyway, have a great rest of the day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N. Alrighty. So here's another chapter. So Astrid's obviously not gonna be happy. Anyway, enough spoilers, on with the story! Read and Review.**

Hiccup groggily sat up as sunlight streamed in. Ravyn was still asleep and Hiccup wished he could do that. He couldn't though. He stood up and promptly fell. There was a growl and he turned to see a small Terror sit up in annoyance.

"Sorry," he said.

" _It's fine,"_ The Terror said. " _I shouldn't of slept right on the floor."_

"Yeah, might not be the best idea," Hiccup said.

" _Waz goin' on,"_ Ravyn muttered as she raised her head. " _Oh, you're up."_

"Sorry Ravyn," Hiccup said. "I didn't mean to wake you." He reached for his armor and put it on, but he left the mask off. "I don't need to wear this right now." Hiccup walked to the window. Ravyn stretched and stepped off the bed before lumbering over to him. "Ready?"

" _Yeah,"_ she said. " _But you can do all the talking to what's her name."_

"Fair enough," Hiccup said. "And her name's Astrid."

" _Yeah, but I don't care,"_ Ravyn snarked. Hiccup laughed and the two leaped from the window.

* * *

Astrid's opened slowly. She sat up and looked around her. She was in her bed. What that was a weird dream. It was a dream right? Hiccup couldn't be alive. He couldn't be that demon. She collapsed back on the bed as her thoughts raced. There was an easy way to find out if she had only dreamed it. Eira wouldn't be here, and the Rider would still be walking around.

She sat up and swung her feet over the bed to meet a strange sight. Nyte was asleep, leaning against the door and it's adjacent wall. Her hair was draped around her face, covering one eye, and a her open mouth allowed for some drool to escape and trickle down her chin. She was still in her usual clothes, and Astrid felt some apprehension. Why would she be sitting there?

"Nyte?" she asked.

Nyte snorted and her head snapped up. "What?" She asked as she stifled a yawn. She pulled her hair out of her face, and hastily wiped the drool off her face. "Sorry for that," she stood up and stretched. "I've got a crick in my back now," she complained. "It's about time you woke up. We were worried you'd never wake up."

"Who's we?" Astrid asked.

"Me, the new girl, Hiccup," she said, still half asleep. "Oh shit! I wasn't supposed to call him that. Oh well, you already saw his face anyway."

"Oh gods," Astrid said as she placed a hand on her head. "I was hoping that was a dream."

"Not a dream," Nyte said. "Though you seem to have had enough of those for one night."

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked.

"You were rolling around all night," Nyte explained. She pulled open the door. "Come on, Hiccup will want to talk to you."

"Which is why I'm already here," a voice said. Astrid watched as a man stepped in. He was definitely Hiccup, but he was so different. Stronger face, more defined, his raged, untamed hair was still there, but the usual fear that was on his face was gone. His emerald eyes stared out at her, and she could only wonder where this Hiccup had come from. He was taller, probably only a little shorter than his father, and while he wasn't overly muscular, his shoulders had broadened, and he was definitely not the fishbone she had grown up with. She stared at him, entranced by this new Hiccup.

"Astrid?" he asked. "You okay?"

"What?" She asked as she shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked away. Seeing him again made it all so much harder. She hated him before, but now… she didn't know what she felt. "Why?" she asked.

"Why what?" he countered.

"Why'd you leave?" she asked. "We thought you were dead! Chief… your father, thinks that you're dead."

"Which is better," Hiccup said. "What? Did you actually want me around?" He laughed dryly. "It's better that they actually don't know what happened to me. Especially my father. He'd be so disappointed, and the Village would turn against him for siring a traitor."

"So you thought about it?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," he said. "The final straw was you though," he said.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked.

"You would talk to me occasionally," Hiccup said. "But then, you just stopped. You ignored me. When I was hurt, you didn't notice, and everyone just looked the other way. That was painful." He took a deep breath. "But then I started actually applying myself, and you went after me. You didn't ignore me now, but you hated me. When you confronted me, I decided that I had no reason to stay. So I left." Astrid had nothing to say. "And Ravyn? She was my only friend. She stood by me when no one in the village would. So why would I not stand by her?"

"What do you mean stand by her?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup turned and knocked on Eira's door. A few seconds later, Eira peeked out and rubbed her eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Get dressed," Hiccup said. "I don't want to have to explain this more than once." Eira brightened and shut the door. He turned back to Astrid. "Follow me." Eira opened the door and pulled at her last boot before sliding it on. It was almost comical how she was so excited.

Hiccup began to lead the way and Astrid ran things over in her head. Why was Eira here? Shouldn't she be at her home? Was her sacrifice not worth it? As she ran these questions over in her head, she lost track of where they were. Within no time, they were in the workshop and Hiccup was talking again.

"Astrid," he said. "Are you listening?"

"What?" She asked. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Hiccup sighed. "Eira, hand Astrid the book." A book was placed in her hands, and she looked to see the Fallen, a dragon that she had always thought of as a myth. "That is the Fallen. It's the reason why dragons invade."

"No dragon could be that big," Astrid said.

"It is," Hiccup replied. "It can force other Dragons to do what it want's. When I first left, I decided I would help Ravyn destroy it. We trained for about a year before going after this beast. We lost." He gestured to his missing leg. "I lost my leg after that because the Fallen thought it would be a good warning. She forced Ravyn to hold me down while Terrors were forced to gnaw through my leg."

Astrid felt bile rise in her throat at the thought and she hurriedly swallowed it. "Then why do you still trust Ravyn?" she asked.

"Because I do," Hiccup harshly said. "She was forced to, and she still hasn't forgiven herself. Mention it to her, and you will be punished. Harshly." He glared at her. "I was at a loss for a while on what to do, so I worked on learning, and trying to lessen the casualties on both sides. This came at a loss of your food, but I was able to save lives, and casualties almost vanished completely." he sat down on a stool. "But Eira figured out the clues I left. Well, she had some extra information, but she still figured it out. Anyway, she figured out something else now. The Stardust Dragon." He reached forwards and turned the page in the book, revealing a blank page. "I know absolutely nothing about this dragon. However, it's our best bet on finding a way to stop this war."

"So how do we get there? When we find where there is," Astrid asked.

"We fly," Hiccup said.

"No," Astrid said. "I've come pretty far, held against my will and all, but I will not ride one of those beasts."

"Don't you trust me?" Hiccup snarked.

"No! Absolutely not!" Astrid shouted. "I don't trust you! I never have since you left!" She crossed her arms. "I will not do it, and you can't make me."

"Fine," Hiccup said. "You're probably going to get in the way anyway."

"I said no- wait what?" She asked.

"I won't force you," Hiccup said. "You've had enough of that. However, Nyte will be looking after you."

"Like hell I will," Nyte shouted as she walked in. "I've heard enough. This is a pack matter too Hiccup."

"How?" Hiccup asked. "Not that I don't appreciate help, but why stick your necks out for this?" He stopped before smirking. "How long were you standing out there?"

"Too long," Nyte quipped. "And I don't care if you hang it over my head for the next year."

"Don't you know it's not nice to eavesdrop?" Hiccup said with a smile.

"And it's rude to assume!" Nyte countered. "Anyway, you are the leader of this island, even if you don't really think so, but you have a huge amount of influence on the island. The pack stands by you, and if you get yourself killed, there will be war on the island because of the power vacuum." She grabbed Hiccup by the collar and pulled his face close to hers. "So I am coming, whether you like it or not."

"Do you two need some time, or…" Eira trailed off. Nyte hurriedly released him and Hiccup stepped back.

"You have a point," he said. "But that still leaves us with the problem of getting there. We'd have to find dragons willing to take us. Most aren't able to at least stave off the pain from the Fallen."

"What about that lone dragon that just showed up?" Nyte asked.

"The Grim Gnasher?" Hiccup asked. "That one's a pack dragon. If it will accept one rider, then it'll be a lifelong ally."

"Well?" Nyte asked.

"Have you ever tamed a dragon?" Eira asked. "Cause I really want to."

"Trust is huge," Hiccup said. "Communication is another part. I can to an extent, help with the communication, but eventually, you'll be able to understand and have to work with the dragon directly."

"Sure," Eira said. "Just teach me."

"And Astrid has to come too," Nyte said. "She'll need to come with us. I'm not going to be her babysitter."

"We'll figure it out later," Hiccup said. "First, we'll work with Nyte," he held up a hand to forestall Eira's complaints. "It's just that she's more able to protect herself should things go sour."

"But if that happens," Nyte said. "Then it'll be running until it leaves us alone. And that can take a damn long time."

"Okay," Eira said with disappointment. "Just let me train one too alright?"

Astrid was conflicted. Why would Eira even be here, and how long had she been there? Was Hiccup really going to end this war? Why didn't he tell anyone? Why not at least let his father know he was alive? The questions flew around her mind, generating nothing but confusion for her.

* * *

The Grim Gnasher in question was small. Well smaller than usual. It's vibrant violet scales glinted and small bits of red showed on it's back. It's underbite showed its razor sharp teeth and it's eyes showed intelligence.

"That one?" Eira asked. "Looks mean."

"Maybe," Hiccup agreed. "But it's usually part of a pack. Taming it would be a rare chance. And if Nyte thinks she can do it, then I trust her."

"How's she gonna do it?" Eira asked.

"Feeding it's a good start," Hiccup said. "The problem is that this kind of dragon usually feeds on weaker dragons. Introducing him to a new diet would be hard."

"Do you think it's young?" Eira asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "It's also a leader. The red should show up much more if it was fully grown."

"I'm gonna try," Nyte said.

"With what?" Eira asked.

"This," Nyte answered as she lifted a basket. Inside was an older sheep, and though it wasn't dead yet, it was on it's last legs.

"You think it'll work?" Eira asked.

"I don't know," Hiccup answered. "It might." Nyte walked out with the sheep and the dragon took notice of her.

"Where did she get the sheep?" Eira asked.

"I don't know," Hiccup said. "But odds are, it was just wandering around somewhere."

"That seems pretty convenient," Eira said.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "Now let's just watch."

Nyte stepped closer to the dragon and knelt, tilting the basket. She opened it and the sheep tumbled out, bleating in annoyance. The Grim Gnasher looked at the sheep with confusion, and stuck his head towards the sheep. The sheep bleated again and stumbled towards the dragon. It tilted its head, regarding the sheep, before looking at Nyte. Nyte nodded, and the dragon turned back to the sheep. It's head shot out and it's razor sharp teeth cut into the sheep. The sheep let out once fearful bleat before it died, almost split in half. The Grim Gnashed began to tear into the sheep, eating with gusto. Nyte stepped closer and the dragon regarded her out of the corner of his eye. Nyte gulped and reached out her hand. The dragon didn't move from his meal, and Nyte tentatively reached out to the dragon's snout. The Grim Gnasher pulled away from the sheep, and licked his lips. He considered her, and then slowly pushed his head into her hand. Nyte took in a sharp breath while the others held their breath. The Grim Gnasher pulled away and returned to his meal. Nyte stepped away and the others let out their breath.

"I was worried for a second," Eira said.

"For a second?" Hiccup asked. "I was terrified for all of that!"

"Why?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know everything about dragons guys," Hiccup said. "I'm always learning." Nyte walked over and smiled giddily.

"That was great!" Nyte exclaimed. "Hiccup, can you help me understand him? I only got a small sense from him, but I think he's willing."

"We'll need Ravyn here to help keep him calm," Hiccup said. "Another dragon should keep him calm."

"Then let's do this!" Nyte said with excitement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this excited," Hiccup said.

"Getting to train a dragon would be the coolest thing!" Nyte said. "I almost feel like I'm a Pup again."

"Well let's get to it," Hiccup said.

* * *

The Grim Gnasher was much less worried about Hiccup for some reason. It seemed almost at ease with him and Hiccup found no problems with marking the Dragon with the Rune of Understanding. As he turned and marked Nyte's head, the dragon growled. Confused Hiccup turned to the Grimm Gnasher to see it looking at Astrid who held a battle axe across her body.

"Astrid," Hiccup said slowly. "Put the Axe down. You're scaring him."

"I'm scaring him?!" Astrid asked indignantly. "I'm the only one here who seems to not be on the same side as you! You all could kill me if you wanted, and I'm not about to trust you!"

"Don't be unreasonable," Hiccup said. "Put the axe down."

"Fuck you," she snarled.

"I won't ask again," Hiccup said as his voice hardened. Astrid stepped away and lowered the axe, but kept it ready to be raised if needs be. Hiccup turned back to Nyte and the Grim Gnasher and placed his hands on their foreheads, where he had marked the rune. He pushed energy into them and felt the energy course through his arms and into the runes. The dragon gave a brief growl of pain and Nyte gave a small whimper. She straightened and Hiccup stepped back.

"What do I call you?" She asked. The dragon growled back and Hiccup could not understand it, though he picked out a few words like name and simple. Nyte turned to Hiccup. "He says he was called Little Chief," she explained. "He also said that he had to make the name more simple."

"I picked out a few words there," Hiccup said.

"Why didn't you guys understand him before?" Astrid asked, still standing far away.

"It's kind of like multiple human languages," Hiccup explained. "While other dragons can always understand other species to an extent, we do not. The languages are quite similar, but not exactly the same."

"Werewolves can pick up languages quickly," Nyte explained. "But it took us months before we understood Ravyn. Hiccup just gave me a head start in communicating with Little Chief here."

"So you can understand all dragons?" Eira asked.

"We can learn," Hiccup explained. "When you have a connection with a dragon, you learn that species language, and can start to recognise other species languages. I can understand Nadders, Zipplebacks, Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares, Terrible Terrors, and Whispering Deaths." He tapped his mask. "But because we physically can't make the same sounds as dragons, we cannot speak to them. They can understand us to an extent if they've been around other humans enough and picked up some of the language, but to truly communicate with our dragon friends, we have to use a translation rune, or give them a Rune of Understanding. That's why I have my mask with me. I can use it to speak to other dragons."

"That's cool," Eira said. "Could you make me one?"

"I certainly can try," Hiccup said. "It'll take a while."

"Make me one too," Astrid said. Hiccup turned to look at her in amazement. "Don't look at me like that, I just want to be able to tell your damned dragon not to bother me."

"You know that Ravyn can understand you right?" Hiccup asked. "Because you and I speak the same language, she can understand you too."

Astrid considered that for a moment. "Okay then." She turned and walked away back towards the hut.

"Nyte," Hiccup said. "You have a place for Little Chief to stay? I can bring him some food later if he's with you."

"Yeah," Nyte said. "If you want to," she said to Little Chief. The dragon nodded and the motley group began the walk back towards the hut.

* * *

Erik hacked into the dummy with a training sword. Why hadn't it worked? The Twins had assured him that the trap would work. They were usually unreliable in everything except making mayhem, so why would they fall short this time. Perhaps the dragon? Maybe it was the dragon that he needed to remove first. After all, the Rider had gotten frantic once the dragon was in danger. Probably meant that he would be stuck if they killed the dragon. After all, a demon couldn't possibly care for another demon.

But more curiously, was how the two worked together. They needed to be very in tune with each other for their raids. But if dragons lived at the nest, somewhere behind Helheim's Gate, then how did he get there? Erik contemplated this as his body worked in autopilot, attacking the dummy with gusto.

"Hey Erik," he heard Tuffnut call for him. "Watch this." He pulled out a snake and a mouse. The mouse was clearly dead.

"What are you doing?" Erik asked impatiently as he turned from his training.

"The mouse was already bitten by this snake," Ruffnut chimed in.

"But watch," Tuffnut finished. He began to drag the mouse in a strange pattern on the floor. Then he released the snake and it began to follow the strange path that Tuffnut had drawn out with the mouse. The twins laughed. "It's so weird!" Tuffnut laughed. He turned to Ruffnut. "Do you think anything else does this?"

"Dragons!" Erik said suddenly. "That's how they get there! Something else leads them! That's why we can't ever get there!" He took off towards the chief's house, racing as fast as he could. It made sense now! Only a dragon could find the nest! They had a different way of sensing the way! It was how they never found the nest! It was a maze of stone that was impossible to navigate if they didn't have the same way of finding it as the dragons. But a dragon could lead them! If they chained it tightly to a ship, it would lead them home!

He pushed by people as fast as he could, running towards the chief's home, as people yelled at him for pushing by. He raced up the hill, this could be it!

"Chief!" He called. "Chief!"

"What?" Stoick boomed. "What? Is it another raid?!"

"No," Erik answered while he caught his breath. "I know how we can find the nest."

 **A.N. YES! I finally finished the chapter! I know that it's a short chapter, but I thought this was the best place to end it. I was at a bit of a loss for what dragon to have bond with Nyte, but I figured that a predatory pack dragon would match up well with Nyte. If you guys have other requests for dragons, please let me know. Anyway, please keep reading, and have a good day.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N. Okay, so I've been working on other fanfictions a little bit more lately, so I've gotten behind on this one. I did not forget about it, but it's taking me a while to get back into the swing of things on this one. So very sorry. Please read and review.**

Astrid watched as Eira read the manual on dragons that Hiccup had provided her. She absorbed every page avidly, and she was reminded of Fishlegs, oddly enough. "How'd you even get here?" Astrid asked.

"I got a message to Hiccup and asked him to help me leave the island," Eira answered. "What made me leave was that the only family I had was a drunkard who used me as a punching bag." She shuddered. "Then he went and married me off to someone with a marriage contract so I ran away. I hid in the forest and asked a nearby terror to take a message to Hiccup. He came and saved me, and now I'm here."

"That's quite the story," Astrid said.

"Yeah," Eira acknowledged. "Though you've got it stranger. You're technically married to Hiccup."

"What?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," Eira said. "Bridal gown, virgin sacrifice, in all respects, you were practically offered to Hiccup to be his wife."

"No," Astrid stated. "I will not… no. If he asks me for… that, then I'll kill myself."

"Well I don't think he'll ask that of you," Eira said. "I mean, from what I know of him, he'd never do anything that would force you to do something you don't want to do."

"He almost killed me before," Astrid said.

"Really?" Eira asked. "You must have really made him mad then. I've never seen him even shout at anyone."

"You've been here for two days," Astrid drawled.

"Yeah," Eira replied. "But he is calm, collected and very good at what he does."

"If I find a way off this island," Astrid said. "I'll take you with me if you want."

"I don't want to," Eira said calmly. "Also, I don't think you'll be able to get off this island unless you can fly. At the edge of the island is nothing but sky."

"Really?" Astrid asked. "That's impossible."

"Yeah," Eira calmly replied. "Ask Nyte about it, she'll tell you about it."

* * *

"Alright," Hiccup said as he led the group back into the forest. "So Eira," she looked at him. "You're going to be getting your dragon today if all goes well."

"Really?" She squealed. "What kind?"

"Well," Hiccup began. "Being as you're younger, I thought it might be best for you to start with a small dragon. This does not mean it's the one you bond with and is the only one you meet, but you'll get to learn about dragons without being in extreme danger if you mess something up."

"I guess that makes sense," Eira said. "So what dragon is it?"

"Well a pack of dragons decided to live here recently," Hiccup explained. "They aren't very strong by themselves, and actually get eaten by predators. However, they are extremely good at working together and are actually rather intelligent. They're rather shy though, so don't expect them to immediately come to you."

"What are they called," Eira asked.

"Night Terrors," Hiccup stated. He stepped into a glade surrounded by trees and a small pond in the center. A group of black dragons sat around, lazing in trees, on the ground, and a few on a log. They were tiny, barely as long as Eira's arm and each one seemed so calm. As she approached however, they scattered.

"I told you they're shy," Hiccup said. "Here." He handed her a small basket with fish inside it. She took it and placed it in front of her. She sat and waited while the rest of the group sat against trees. One Night Terror fluttered down to the basket and looked at Eira carefully. She picked up a fish and held it out to the dragon. The Night Terror tentatively reached out and pulled the fish out of her hand. Eira smiled and soon other Night Terrors began to take fish as well. One hesitantly walked over, and the rest of the Night Terror's scattered.

This Night Terror was different though. It wasn't black, or white like an alpha. This one was a motley of blacks, whites, and grays. It was also smaller than the rest of the pack.

"Hey little guy," Eira said. The dragon snorted with annoyance. "Girl?" she wondered. The Night Terror seemed placated by her correction.

"That's weird," Hiccup said. "She must not be accepted by the pack."

"What do you mean?" Eira asked.

"Night Terrors are pack dragons at their finest," Hiccup explained. "They work together to give the illusion of being one large dragon, and scare away predators. The white one leads as alpha, and without the alpha, they're unorganised and easily beaten. This one isn't accepted."

"Why not?" Nyte asked.

"I'd have to guess it's because of the chain of command," Hiccup answered. "There can only be one leader or the whole group gets confused. This one must be distracting to the group, making them feel threatened. They're probably trying to push it away so that they can still function as a pack."

"That's horrible," Eira said, aghast.

"Human's do it too," Hiccup said. "Wars are fought over being the leader, and it weakens the whole kingdom, country, island, etcetera."

"It's still horrible," Eira said.

"I know," Hiccup answered. "But that doesn't change that it happens."

"Could I bond with this one?" Eira asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess, but it's up to this little one," he explained, pointing to the Night Terror that was still contentedly eating her fish.

Eira reached out for her and the dragon froze. She backed away slightly and Eira stopped. She slowly continued and the Night Terror watched her warily. Her hand approached the dragon, and she stopped. She looked at the dragon reassuringly. The Night Terror finally moved forward and rested her head against Eira;s hand.

Eira smiled. She scooted closer and gently picked up the Night Terror who squirmed a little before being set on Eira's lap. The Night Terror looked at her confusedly and Eira smiled.

Hiccup walked towards them, ink on his fingers. The Night Terror tried to get even closer to Eira, seemingly shy around Hiccup. Hiccup drew the Rune on Eira's forehead and the Night Terror allowed him to do the same after Eira took some time to stroke her scales, settling her down. He activated the runes and Eira stiffened while the Night Terror squirmed. They stopped.

"Wow," Eira said breathlessly. "That surprised me."

" _You're telling me,"_ She heard.

She turned to the dragon in her arms. "Did you say that?"

" _Say what?"_ the Night Terror asked.

"I can understand you!" Eira squealed with glee. "And you can understand me!" She laughed as she stood up and held the confused dragon in her outstretched arms. She laughed and began to spin.

" _Please stop,"_ The Night Terror said. " _I'm gonna be sick."_

Eira immediately stopped. She looked at the dragon in her arms and gave it a hug. The dragon was confused, but gave a small contented smile and closed her eyes. "What's your name?" Eira asked.

" _I was called Mistwing by my mother,"_ she explained. " _But no one calls me that. No one calls me anything. They just avoid me."_

"Aw," Eira said. "I'm sorry."

" _It's fine,"_ Mistwing said. " _It's not your fault."_

Eira looked at Hiccup. "She can come with us if she wants," Hiccup said.

"Would you like that?" Eira asked. Mistwing nodded. "Yay!" Eira cheered. Mistwing flapped her wings and as Eira let her go, flew up to land on Eira's shoulder. Eira stumbled a little under the sudden weight before righting herself and walking with the others. Mistwing was barely staying on her shoulders.

"I think you're a little big for that," Hiccup said to Mistwing. Mistwing looked sad and began to fly next to them.

Eira quickly opened her arms to Mistwing in invitation. Mistwing quickly flew to her and Eira wrapped Mistwing in her arms. She carried her as she walked with the others and hummed a happy tune.

Astrid could only watch in confusion. This was a girl who, while younger than her by a few years, was also rather intelligent. She seemed to be so trusting of what was happening around them. She was currently cuddling a dragon. A dragon! What was wrong with her? Why did everyone trust them so much right now? Were they all crazy? Or was she the one that was crazy?

* * *

 **Astrid watched as Eira played with Mistwing. While Astrid couldn't understand the small dragon, Eira seemed able to. She talked with her happily and Astrid again wondered what was going on?**

She walked to the training room to see Nyte using a pair of knives against a training dummy that held a sword. With grace like that of a wolf, she sliced into the dummy, dodging each of its sword blows and leaving cuts in the wood. She leaped away from and overhead strike, and when the dummy tried to follow up, Nyte crossed her blades, stopping the sword in its path. She pushed the sword to the side and spun, dropping her head and bringing her foot up to strike the dummy in the side of the head with the heel of her foot. The dummy was unable to move out of the way and it was knocked to the ground and didn't get up.

"How'd you do that?" Astrid asked. Nyte turned to her.

"I hit the dummy in a way that would knock a normal person out, so the dummy simulates it," Nyte explained. "Hiccup was very extensive in the runework that makes these dummies work."

Astrid watched the dummy get up and walk to the other side of the room. "Hey Nyte?" She called.

"Yeah?" Nyte said, turning to her.

"How did you meet Hiccup," Astrid asked.

Nyte smiled. "Well, when he and Ravyn landed here, we originally just left them alone. I mean, they'd leave soon, they had not reason to stay. But they didn't leave. We had no problems with dragons, but they were natural predators. Finally, we saw Hiccup building the hut. We needed him to leave. Back then, the island was small, and we didn't have the extra room, especially with all the different packs. So, we arranged to raid him. Nothing to big, just enough to scare him off."

"You attacked them?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," Nyte said with a chuckle. "We had prepared for Ravyn too, with buckets of water. When the two of them went to sleep, we attacked. We soaked Ravyn and Hiccup, not wanting to leave anything to chance. We then attacked, but Hiccup," she chuckled and shook her head. "He was something else. He immediately fought back. We were experienced with weapons, but he didn't just use one. He used a simple staff with enough power and skill that we were being slapped around."

"So you left?" Astrid asked.

"No," Nyte answered. "We had more pack members waiting to help if needed, but when they attacked, Hiccup changed tactics. He would toss rocks at us that exploded in midair, blow fire out of a rod of stone, and light the night with small bits of crystal. We were soundly defeated, and had no choice but to leave. Unfortunately, I was caught in a blast from his stones early on. The others retreated, blinded by Hiccup's magic and I was left behind. My leg was broken, and I was in my human form as a result. He could very well used his magic or weapons to kill me, or even have his way with me, but instead he asked me a question."

"What was the question?" Astrid asked.

Nyte smiled. "Why. That was his question." She stretched. "I wouldn't answer. He walked away and I expected for him to just leave me, but instead, he came back, some roasted rabbit in hand and the materials to make a splint."

"He helped you?" Astrid asked with shock.

"Yeah," Nyte answered. "I was like you at first. I didn't trust him, and didn't expect anything from him. We had just attacked him after all. He told me that if I explained why we attacked him I could eat. As that happened, Ravyn growled at him, and I think she was telling him to just finish me off."

"Makes sense," Astrid said.

"Well he didn't," Nyte said. Instead, he quickly set my leg. I howled in pain, I'm not proud to say, but immediately after, he set the splint and wrapped my leg." She walked over to Astrid and sat down against the wall. "I still didn't know why he was helping me, but he had just helped me with my leg, the least I could do was explain why he was attacked. I told him our reasons and Hiccup apologised."

"He what?" Astrid asked loudly.

"He apologised," Nyte confirmed. "Said that he didn't mean to intrude, and was sorry if he caused any problems. He then helped me over to the hut and built a fire out in front. Somehow he did it even though the wood was wet, but he did it. He began to roast another rabbit and handed me the rest of the first one. I admit, I was hungry, and I did eat it, though I kept an eye on him waiting for the eventual attack. It never happened. Instead, he tossed me a blanket of furs, and told me to rest up. He lay back against Ravyn and fell asleep. Ravyn growled at me, and I don't blame her."

"So what happened?"

"Well," Nyte said. "The island had been home to many other creatures for a long time, and as such held a stone. One that held all the magic of the island. No creatures on the island had the power to awaken it however, and it had long been dormant. Hiccup's use of magic however, woke it up. During the night as we all slept, the whole island raised itself into the sky as it is now."

Astrid mentally cursed. If it was in the sky, then she wouldn't be getting out of here anytime soon anyway.

"Hiccup when he woke up, made breakfast and asked me my name. I told him, and he asked if he could help my wound heal as a show of good faith," Nyte continued. "He healed it to an extent, speeding up the process by months. Apart from taking Ravyn on a flight, we talked, me explaining what the island was and who I was. My pack was the strongest on the island, though there are other packs that would challenge us constantly. When Hiccup heard this, he asked about other people that could use magic. We knew of none, but the fact that he knew it already had awoken the island and it now recognised him as the magic user who controlled the island."

"Do you know magic?" Astrid asked.

"No," Nyte answered. "None besides my heredical magic. That's what allows me to change from human to wolf and back. But anyway, Hiccup returned to healing my leg. This time he used a stone, and it healed completely. When he finished, he took of the splint and let me go. No tricks, or requests, or anything."

"So he left?" Astrid asked.

"I think he would have," Nyte said. "But he had helped me, even though I had attacked him. He wanted the reason. I think that's what happened with the dragons too. I think because he looked for the why, he saw differently."

"So he did or didn't leave?" Astrid pressed.

"He stayed," Nyte said. "But that might be because I asked him to. He had helped me, even when we tried to drive him off. I felt like I should repay him. I asked him to come with me to meet our pack, the Eastern Stars Pack."

"What are the other packs?" Astrid asked.

"There is the Dark Moon Pack, the South Wind Pack, and other packs as well," Nyte answered.

"What happened when you took him to your pack?" Astrid asked.

"Well," Nyte began. "Things got a little messy. When I brought him with me, most of the others wanted to attack him and thought he had captured me. I managed to get them to stop long enough to explain how Hiccup helped me, but most of them didn't trust him. The Pack Leader at the time, Lostsight, listened and agreed with me that Hiccup had earned our peace, but also took it further. He dubbed Hiccup Wolf Friend. Basically, Hiccup was now able to say that he was part of the pack."

"So he's an honorary pack member?" Astrid asked.

"He can be challenged," Nyte said calmly. "And the next few days, Hiccup was challenged multiple times. He won each time, and though he could have killed his opponent easily, he always left his opponent with minimal injury. He's never challenged anymore."

"Really?" Astrid asked. "How many times did he win?"

"I believe the tally is somewhere around thirty seven," Nyte answered. "But ever since he stood with us during the last pack war, he's been accepted."

"Pack war?" Astrid asked.

"Basically, we were challenged for our position," Nyte replied. "Hiccup stood with us and we won much more easily. He killed seven on his own. He keeps their pelts, either out of respect or as a way of asserting where he stands."

"Isn't that disrespectful?" Astrid asked.

"Not like you would think," Nyte answered. "To take a wolf's pelt is to respect them as a warrior. If a pack member gives you their pelt when they die, they are showing respect as well as asking for you to remember them." Nyte wiped a tear from her eye. "Lostsight gave his pelt to Hiccup when he died. He and his wife never had children, and when his wife also died, she gave her pelt to Hiccup as well. Because of that, they are claiming him as their legacy."

"As his parents?" Astrid asked.

"Closer to a master and apprentice," Nyte clarified. "But it also cements his place in the pack."

Astrid listened and thought about what this could mean. Had Hiccup completely given up on his father? Was he removing himself from his father? Maybe choosing another to take his fathers place? It was no secret that Stoick had not been the best of father's.

"So now what?" Astrid asked. "Is Hiccup the new pack leader?"

"No," Nyte answered. "Even though he is a Wolf friend, he cannot become a pack leader. He's human," she said like that explained it. Astrid didn't push the issue.

"But what happened after that?" Astrid asked.

"Hiccup began to build this place," Nyte answered. "Especially as the island began to grow."

"Islands can grow?" Astrid asked. "How does that work?"

"The Mana stone," Nyte replied. "It's alive, to an extent. The island is constantly growing to an extent, though it's slowed down in growth now. But other islands can also merge with ours, provided the one controlling it and Hiccup agree. Usually the bigger island takes control and Hiccup, as master of the bigger island, has continued to take control. With each island, there are more creatures that come with it."

"Is that why Hiccup's got so many rooms?" Astrid asked.

Nyte nodded. "Others sometimes come to meet with Hiccup or to talk to him about problems they are having. As the master of the island, he is technically the ruler of the whole island."

Astrid stared at the wall as she thought this through. "What about the dragons?" She asked. "Is everything Hiccup said true?"

Nyte sighed. "You stubborn vikings. You guys can't see the truth even when it's right in front of your face." Astrid looked at her angrily. "What? It's true," Nyte continued. "If the Fallen is removed, then the war will be over. No more raids, no more dragons and vikings killing each other over food, and no fighting between them unless a dragon is attacked."

Astrid considered the choice before her. She could try to learn about dragons and hopefully end the war, therefore going against viking tradition in the worst way possible, or she could stay here, try to weather out her captivity and maybe escape at some point. Right now, the first option seemed the best. At least until Hiccup called her to marry him. Then she'd probably drive a knife through his heart before killing herself.

"Nyte?" Astrid asked as she mentally steeled herself. "Can I learn to ride a dragon?"

* * *

Astrid followed Nyte out from the training room and into the woods. Nyte abruptly stopped turned around, and sat down on a nearby rock.

She crossed her arms and stared at Astrid. "Why the fuck are you asking me now?" She asked. "Hiccup already tried to help you, but you were adamant about it. So what the hell are you trying to pull?"

"I just though…" Astrid began but Nyte's stare cut her off. "Alright! Fine! I don't know why. I'm not going to say a bullshit reason, especially because you'll know if I'm just saying lies." She sighed. "I don't know. I just… when Eira got her dragon, she was so happy, already trusting the dragon like she had known it her whole life." She looked at the ground, embarrassed. "If that's real, then this might be the way to end this fucking war. I still don't trust you guys much, but if this is the only way, then it's the only way."

Nyte looked at her. "Why not ask Hiccup? You'll need to so that you can understand your dragon."

"I don't want to ask him for anything after how I've acted towards him. I've been nothing but horrible to him, and even at Berk, I ignored him for the most part," Astrid explained.

"Well I can't help you," Nyte said. Astrid's head snapped up as she looked at Nyte in fear. "It's not that I can't help you find a dragon, but you need to figure this out about Hiccup. He's put a lot on the line to help you vikings out, and you guys act like braindead idiots who don't know how to wipe your own asses."

"What?" Astrid asked angrily, almost shouting.

"You guys only follow what your parents did before you," Nyte continued. " You aren't innovative, tolerant, or even remotely intelligent for the most part."

"Get to the point," Astrid snarled. "Before I decide to chop your fucking head off!"

"The point is," Nyte said. "You have to learn to think. Hiccup's been the only one to do so, and you guys ostracized him. You treated him like he was nothing, when in fact, he was more than all of you!" she yelled. She took a deep breath. "You really want to change? To end this war? Then ask Hiccup to help you." And with that she walked back to the training room leaving Astrid alone in the woods.

* * *

Hiccup sat on Ravyn's back as they soared towards the nest. They usually checked in on the nest every once in a while to make sure the Fallen was still there. As the two of them flew into the nest Hiccup noticed the other dragons around the nest were much healthier looking. He saw a group of Gronkles sleeping on one of the outcroppings. A Zippleback poked its head out and looked at the pair of them before returning to the others on it's outcropping.

Hiccup heard a low, loud rumbling and felt his heart drop into his stomach. She was awake!

" _I thought I told you to never come back here,"_ A menacing female voice rumbled. " _Yet here you are. Are you really that eager to die?"_ The rumbling grew in volume.

"Alright, time to go," Hiccup whispered to Ravyn. They turned to leave.

" _Don't you want to kill me?"_ The voice called. " _Come! Take a chance! What else do you have to lose? I already took your leg, though you seem to have gotten around that little problem. Maybe I should take your arm?"_

Hiccup discreetly pulled out a few pellets which he squished in his hand to make red dye which he then used to mark Ravyn's head. He marked her with two runes. One for protect and the other for mind. The rumbling increased and the Runes began to glow. She was attacking Ravyn's mind again. "Let's go!" he cried. Ravyn immediately turned and picked up speed, flying through the tunnel as fast as she could. Hiccup felt his mind start to move to that familiar state where the two of them could work together on instinct, not a thought going into what they both instinctively knew.

A roar of anger echoed down the tunnel and Hiccup gritted his teeth. The Fallen had been awake this time. Another roar echoed behind him and Hiccup turned to see it. It was a Monstrous Nightmare. It's eyes were blank however. Not even with slitted pupils, but completely black eyes. It had been broken. It's mind no longer remained. It only would act under the direction of the Fallen. The duo began to weave in and out of the foggy maze, trying to escape the dragon that chased them. Another roar pierced the silence and the two picked up speed. Soon the two were out of the fog and they rapidly gained altitude before flying into the clouds.

Hiccup listened for the Nightmare, but didn't hear a thing. "That was too close," he said.

" _You're telling me,"_ Ravyn said. " _I think your runes were almost out of power too."_

"Well we know one thing for sure," Hiccup said. "We need to find the Stardust Dragon soon."

 **A.N. Okay, sorry for taking so long to write this chapter. I have been writing my RWBY fanfic lately and it got updated quickly for the last week or so. So sorry. Please review, and have a good day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N. Okay, sorry about how long each chapter takes. I will try to be more active in my posting, and will get the story out there much quicker. Anyway, read and review.**

Astrid stood outside the workshop, contemplating her next actions. Inside, Hiccup was working on something, and she didn't know what. She could hear him muttering about something, and didn't want to disturb him. What Nyte had told her about changed things. Hiccup had been gone for years. He had evidently not been mistreated, if anything, he had benefited from his time away. He was more knowledgeable than Fishlegs, had better fighting skills than anyone on the island, and had friends that cared for him as much as he cared for them.

What had Berk done for him? Nothing, besides being his birthplace and the home of his only family by blood. They had tormented him, calling him weak, scorning him for his attempts to help, and the only people his age had bullied him relentlessly, or had ignored him completely. The adults were no better, besides Gobber, who had stepped in to help Hiccup. However, by the looks of things, Hiccup was better off here by a wide margin.

She stepped away from the workshop and walked into the forest. She had no idea what to do, she was supposed to marry the one who she had ignored, at best, and was seen as the most feared personage in all the archipelago. Even Dagur the deranged said he wasn't stupid enough to seek him out, and Dagur was known for his absolute insanity.

When Dagur had come in place of his father to renew the treaty with Stoick, Dagur had taken charge and said that the treaty was null and void, saying "This island is worthless to take over, and even less useful as an ally. You have nothing but work to be done and no way of exports. The dragons do more damage to you than anyone could and if I were to wipe you out, odds are, the dragons would just turn to another island." He had walked away quite full of himself, sure that he was very shrewd to have come up with that reasoning after all.

But that still didn't explain what she should do. The fact that Berk had nothing to offer Hiccup, and that she had nothing to offer except her virginity did not help her. She could do absolutely nothing but follow his instructions to the letter and hope for the best, but if he didn't want her around, she would not be around. Maybe it was time for her to try to leave. But how? She'd need a dragon to get off the island, and that required asking Hiccup to help her.

As she continued walking, she found herself back at the ledge where she had leaped down into the Whispering Death's nest. She looked around, and didn't see anything. No dragons, no eggs, nothing. She listened for the telltale rumbling, but still heard nothing. She turned back the way she came before a roar drew her attention. She turned to see a Monstrous Nightmare flying at her as fast as it could. Astrid dove to the side as the Nightmare slammed into the earth, Astrid quickly backed away, behind the trees, without her weapon.

Hadn't Hiccup said that the dragons wouldn't hurt her? What was with this one? She hardly dared breath, and saw the Dragon still thrashing about before snapping at the empty air. It charged at one of the tree's and bit into it, sinking its teeth inside and scratching at it with its claws. Astrid saw the eyes and felt fear spike inside her. The eyes were completely black. No pupil, no iris, just black.

Hiccup would know what to do. Maybe it was sick? She began to back away, not taking her eyes off the dragon. Who knew when it would attack her. She got farther and farther away, the Nightmare not having noticed her. She was ten meters away, twenty meters, thirty meters. The nightmare was still unnoticing of her and her visibility was declining as more and more trees blocked her sight. A snap rang out and Astrid looked down to see a broken branch.

A roar shattered the tense silence and thundering footsteps charged towards her. Astrid screamed and ran, all thoughts of silence forgotten. She ran as fast as she dared, tripping once could be fatal, and there was no shortage of obstacles. Leaping over logs and rocks, she heard crashing as the Nightmare charged, bashing into trees and rocks unnoticing. She saw the clearing and ran even harder.

She opened her mouth and with her shortening breath shouted.

* * *

"HICCUP!" Astrid's voice rang out, causing Hiccup to stop what he was doing. He was studying his books, working on learning the work of magical bonds and contracts and the scream immediately worried him. Astrid screaming? A roar of a Nightmare caused his worry to heighten even more.

He raced outside to see Astrid run out of the forest and into the clearing. A nightmare charged in right behind her and Hiccup could tell that it was the same Nightmare that he and Ravyn had fled before. The black eyes stared out at him, unseeing, and the movements were jerky.

Hiccup wasted no time and raced towards Astrid. He pulled out a rune stone and summoned a long staff with the head of a large axe. He leaped and swung at the dragon. It never saw him coming and his axe buried itself deep in the dragon's neck. It thrashed and tried to roar, but blood gushed out instead. Hiccup pulled out the axe and finished the job, cleanly severing the head from the neck. Letting the body fall to the ground, Hiccup stepped away. He turned to Astrid and hurriedly walked over to her.

"Are you okay? Any burns? Injuries? Anything?" He asked.

"I'm fine," she said. "But why'd you kill it? I thought you protected dragons," she stared at the corpse and shuddered.

"It wasn't really alive anymore," Hiccup said.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked.

"The Fallen," He answered. "When dragons don't do as it says, it causes it pain constantly, battering down it's mind until there's nothing left. It goes insane, lashing out at everything until she takes control of it. When she releases it from her control, the dragon lashes out again, like this one did. It was already dead, it just didn't know it yet."

"How often does this happen?" Astrid asked.

"There are hundreds of them in the nest," Hiccup said. "Some die by old age or disease, or just waste away, but the only thing is that to do it takes her strength and focus. Otherwise, she'd just take control of every dragon. Because she can't, she takes the young dragon's captive with the broken, which ensures that the other dragons will return."

"Can she control the baby dragons?" Astrid asked.

"No," Hiccup said. "They're immune to an Alpha's call, and because of that, are protected from her mental attacks."

"So why don't we just save the dragons?" Astrid asked. "If you bring them here, the older dragons will have no reason to stay. The war will be over."

"No it won't," Hiccup said. "If the Fallen ever chooses to leave the nest, which she would if we removed the babies, she would simply go to other islands, and destroy them before finding other nests to take control of."

"Is that why we need to find the Stardust Dragon?" Astrid asked.

"Yes," Hiccup answered. He paused. "Wait, did you say 'we'?"

"Yes," Astrid confirmed. "I'll help you. I'll ride a dragon."

* * *

The Fallen lay in the bottom of her cavern, the glow of lava lit up the cavern with a warm glow, but most would call it ominous. Perspective was everything after all. She had sent out one of the worthless wretches that she had tormented to insanity, and he had not returned. The dragon had flown out and at some point, his consciousness just stopped. It wasn't cut off in pain, so he wasn't injured or killed, but it was still concerning. That meddlesome rider and the traitor had returned, and she had caught them in the act. They did come in frequently, but she was usually either asleep, or commanding the dragons at the time.

She looked around and saw the infants all huddled in the corner, each one flapping their wings with futility. They wouldn't be able to fly for a while, but it was amusing to watch them try. They wouldn't listen to her, but she could keep them under control with the others she had broken. They stood guard around the infants, not disturbing them while they slept or played and only directly interacted with them when they brought food or were herding them back to their corner.

She thought about what she should do. She could easily stop the traitor, but she couldn't kill her or her rider. Otherwise, she'd lose some of her power and the only other one who was any danger to her was somewhere else. The Fallen had little in the way of future plans, but she would win in the end. She always did.

* * *

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She stood in front of a sleeping dragon, a Deadly Nadder. It was sleeping, and she could see that it was injured. A long gash on its wing was visible.

"If she tries to fly," Hiccup explained. "She'll rip her wing. One of the fastest ways to gain a dragon's trust is to help it. Food is one way, another is to help it heal."

"But how am I supposed to do that?" Astrid hissed as the dragon stirred, hearing their voices. "It's not like she's going to just let me heal her wound."

"Nadders are proud," Hiccup said. "Just compliment her a little. Then, just approach her from the front, but where she can still see you. Hold your hand out, palm towards her. Don't touch her though, she won't like that."

Astrid took a deep breath and walked up to the dragon. The dragon stirred and its eye opened lazily. "Hey… beautiful," Astrid said hesitantly. The dragon focused on her and she gulped. She didn't move. "Hi. Uh, I'm Astrid." The dragon snorted. "You're very beautiful," Astrid said. The dragon seemed to like that as it raised its head, looking smug. "You're so powerful, and majestic," Astrid continued.

"Don't lay it on too thick," Hiccup said. "She'll be able to sense if you're insincere."

Astrid heard this and took a deep breath. She took another step towards the Nadder and it regarded her with curiosity. Astrid bit her lip nervously and outstretched her hand. She turned away and closed her eyes, waiting for teeth to tear into her arm. Instead she felt a head push into her hand and her eyes snapped open. She looked at the Nadder to see the dragon looking at her. Astrid let out the breath she had been holding and laughed.

"Nice job Astrid," Hiccup said. "Now, you're going to help her heal."

"How?" Astrid asked. "It's not like I can do magic."

"No," Hiccup acknowledged. "But you don't need to. Here," he tossed her a stone. "This is a rune that I charged with an activation specific to finding a wound. When you place it on her wing, it will heal the damage as much as it can, but it should heal it all the way."

Astrid nodded and turned back to the Nadder. It regarded her cautiously and as Astrid extended the stone towards the dragon's wound, the dragon gave a low squawk as she moved away. Astrid hesitated, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm trying to help you." She tried again, and the dragon let Astrid touch the rune to her wound. The wound immediately began to heal, the flesh knitting itself back together nicely. The Nadder chirped in approval as it tested out it's wing. It moved well, and showed no harm.

The Nadder turned back to Astrid and gently butted her with it's head as it let out several happy sounds. Hiccup walked out and the Nadder regarded him. He said something in a few growls, and the dragon nodded. Astrid looked at Hiccup in confusion.

"She said you could be her rider," Hiccup said. "She actually seemed rather excited at the idea." He pulled out a simple jar of ink and moved towards the two of them.

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked. "Is this the same thing you did with Nyte and Eira?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "It'll help you understand Stormfly."

"Stormfly?" Astrid asked.

"It's her name. She told me," he explained. "Dragons can have some really weird names sometimes okay? I met one that was called Lazybone."

"Seriously?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "Anyway, don't move." He marked her forehead with the ink and did the same to Stormfly. He then put away the ink, and activated the runes.

Astrid stumbled back as she was assaulted by a whole new consciousness. As the pain subsided, she looked to Stormfly as she now knew her. Stormfly shook her head and looked at her. " _What was that?"_ Astrid heard.

"What?" Astrid asked. "Wait, was that you?"

" _What do you mean?"_ Stormfly asked in return. " _Can you understand me?"_

"I can!" Astrid exclaimed. "And you understand me!" A smile broke out across her face. She laughed. "This is insane," she said quietly.

" _Why?"_ Stormfly asked.

"I'm a viking!" Astrid said. "All I've been taught since birth was do as you're told, learn to fight, and kill dragons."

" _That's weird,"_ Stormfly said. " _But not all that surprising. All I've been taught is to avoid humans, and never go near the island of pain."_

"Island of pain?" Astrid asked.

" _Yeah,"_ Stormfly said. " _There's a dragon there that takes control of other dragons. It hurts them."_

"Well we're trying to stop that dragon," Astrid said.

" _Why?"_ Stormfly asked. " _Why would vikings care?"_

"What?" Astrid asked, shocked. "Why wouldn't we care?"

" _You have your own battles and problems, why would you care?"_ Stormfly countered.

"Well, helping you helps us," Astrid said. "So if you're uncomfortable with the thought of us being willing to help, think about it as a truce to fight the real enemy."

" _I can understand that,"_ Stormfly replied.

"Okay then!" Hiccup said. "Now that that's out of the way, Stormfly, would you like to stay with us?" Stormfly nodded. "Okay! Let's go then, we're going to have to teach you how to fly."

* * *

Erik walked to the great hall, he needed to find Snotlout. Most didn't understand him, but he actually wasn't too stupid. Sure, he didn't think things through, and he thought more with his muscles than his head, but he did have his moments of brilliance. After Hiccup had been killed, Snotlout had become heir, but soon others began to look for Hiccup's promising circumstances in Snotlout. Because he didn't have that, he was marginalised, and others ignored him. Snotlout, however moronic he was, was a rather good fighter, well, when he wasn't trying to show off.

As he walked into the great hall he saw Snotlout sitting at a table by himself, in the shadows. A mug sat in front of him, and his eyes stared into space. His face was unshaven and he swayed slightly from the amount of mead he had already drank. Erik sat down across the table from Snotlout, quietly checking to see if anyone else was around.

"Snotlout," Erik said.

"What," Snotlout said. He wasn't so drunk as to be unable to speak, so obviously, this happened enough for him to be used to it.

"I want to talk to you about helping me find the nest," Erik said.

"Ha," Snotlout said. "If you had any chance of that, I'd help you. However, I'd be better of here helping with the defence."

"How so?" Erik asked.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Snotlout said. "Everyone thinks so. I'm not a moron."

"I didn't say you were stupid," Erik said.

"No?" Snotlout said. "So were you looking for the last heir?" He drained his mug. "You don't get it. I have nothing left to look for. The best I have is here on this island, doing the best of my ability to protect the people." Erik looked at him in confusion. "When I was younger, everyone looked to me to hopefully be the next heir. Hiccup, was the next in line, but no one actually wanted him. No one except his father. I hated him. Not because he would be chief, but because he was useless. He wouldn't help Berk to survive. But then, Hiccup started getting smart. He wasn't the most Viking of us, but he was smart. He found ways to get around problems, and unlike most of us, could find ways reliably. I mean, we're not that smart, but even Vikings know that hitting a rock with our heads won't break it. Well, unless you're Stoick. He's broken boulders with his head before."

"But…?" Erik pressed.

"Hiccup got better," Snotlout continued. "And I was fine with that. I wasn't going to be chief, but he would, and he was finally being a viking! He could take a dragon down with his bare hands, and he finally started to show what he was made of!" Snotlout smiled. "My cousin, the smart, sarcastic, annoying runt of a boy, was finally shaping up. But then," his face fell. "He died. He was killed by that fucking dragon!" He slammed his mug into the table. "Suddenly I was next in line to be chief. My father was oh so happy, as you could probably guess, but it's not worth anything."

"How's it not worth anything?" Erik asked.

"Stoick," Snotlout said. "He's running on nothing but rage, but with that, he could last for years. He can continue to fight, and won't give up the chiefdom. At most, I'll get to learn from him before he dies, but he won't for a while. By the time he's gone, I'll be lucky if there's anyone left by then."

"What?" Erik asked.

"Oh c'mon," Snotlout whined as he swayed back. "I've been thinking. Shocking, I know, but I do think sometimes. Winter's almost here, and people are barely getting enough to eat. Older villagers are starving themselves so that they can feed their children, and even then it's sometimes not enough. Less and less children are born each generation, and we're running out of food sources. The most food we get is from the traders now!" He rocked backwards drunkenly. "This war will end soon, but I don't think we'll be the one's to win. So unless you have a plan that can with this war before winter sets in a month or two at the latest, we're fucked."

"How about one month?" Erik said.

"One month?" Snotlout asked. "How?"

"The twins gave me this idea…" Erik said.

"The twins?" Snotlout asked. "That's worthless," he stood up and carried his mug to the barrels of mead to get a refill.

"No, wait!" Erik said, quickly standing up and following Snotlout. "They aren't wrong! We can't find the nest. Not by ourselves, and the dragons can't either." Snotlout idly listened as he filled his mug. "The dragons are lead by something else. That something else won't lead us, but it will lead the dragons."

Snotlout took a long drink from his mug. "Let's say that's true, how we gonna get there?"

"We need to capture dragons," Erik said.

"Impossible," Snotlout said. "Even if we capture a dragon, the Rider will free it quickly. He's taken all hope for the future from me already, so I have nothing to lose, but this plan won't work. There's too many holes."

"We don't need to take a big dragon," Erki explained. "We just need to take some Terrible Terrors. Keep them hidden, and under control. We'll be able to get to the nest, kill the Rider, his Night Fury, and drive off any other dragons."

"Fine," Snotlout said. "If we capture any dragons, I'll help you. I'll help to finish this war."

"We should still try to get back alive," Erik said.

"Why?" Snotlout said. "The woman I loved, though she didn't love me back, Astrid, is gone. She was taken by the Rider, the odds of finding her are low, if not nonexistent. And then, my father signed a marriage contract for Eira. Though she was a little young, she was still hot, and she was no stupid bitch either." He took another drink. "Then, the next day, she's gone, and the Rider is there again. Her uncle washed up on the shore the next day with stab wounds in his chest. Do you think that's happenstance?" Snotlout snorted. "I don't know why, but the Rider seems to have an agenda against me. If that's happenstance, then I have worse luck than Hiccup ever did."

"Well?" Erik asked.

"Well what?" Snotlout asked. "I'm in. I've got nothing better to do with my life." He drained his mug, and refilled it. "But you're going to need way more than just a few of us. You need a raiding party. Have you run it by Chief? Cause if not, your a fucking moron."

"I talked to him," Erik said. "And he said that if we were going to do this, I needed to take charge of this. He's not too enthusiastic about risking more of our people on searches for the nest this late, but he thinks it might work. He also knows that this is our last chance. So far, I've got Stoick, the Twins, Gobber, Several villagers, and a few berserkers that were stranded her a few weeks ago."

"I'm in," Snotlout said. "I already said that. Listen to my words, asshole." He took another drink and swayed a little more. "If you want this to work, you'll need Fishlegs. He's one of the only ones who'll be able to help you plan this all."

"Well how do I do that?" Erik asked.

"Just bring me and the twins. He'll come," Snotlout said with a slight chuckle. "He's always been a pushover."

* * *

 **Erik helped Snotlout stumble over to the Ingerman home and knocked on the door. The twins were right behind them, and they each had grins on their faces. Fishlegs opened the door and let out a very unmanly shriek before clasping a hand over his mouth. "Uh, hey guys," he managed. "What can I do for you?"**

"I dunno," Tuffnut said. "You tell us. We don't know your capabilities."

"That's not what he meant Tuff," Erik said.

"How do you know?" Tuffnut asked. "Can you read his mind? No? I didn't think so."

"Yeah well you can't either," Ruffnut said.

"I can read your mind," Tuffnut said.

"Prove it," she said. Tuffnut put his fingers to his temples and concentrated really hard.

"You're thinking about… explosions!" He said loudly.

"Ah, dammit, you got it," Ruffnut said.

"See?" Tuffnut said. "I can read minds!"

"Shut up," Snotlout whined. "You're giving me a headache." He stumbled towards Fishlegs. "You see, we have a plan, well, Erik has a plan."

"Hey! We helped too!" Ruffnut said.

"You didn't do anything," Tuffnut said. The two began to bicker and the others rolled their eyes.

"Maybe you should explain," Fishlegs said to Erik. He led them inside and sat down at the table. "So what's the plan?"

* * *

Snotlout was passed out at the table and Fishlegs was nervously eating some yak jerky. "You guys are either the most brilliant, or the most insane group of vikings I've ever met."

"Well? Are you in?" Erik asked.

Fishlegs sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't see any other options. And the fact that Snotlout recognised it means that it's pretty obvious. I'm in."

"So now what?" Erik asked.

"We prepare," Fishlegs said. "This would be a last push. We'll need to take everyone we can. Everyone except the few that would be staying here with the children and the elders." He pulled out a parchment. "This is a list of provisions that are taken for every search for the nest."

Erik looked at the list. "That's a lot of provisions."

"Yes it is," Fishlegs said. "The problem is that we don't have it."

"What?" Erik asked.

"The amount of provisions we have is at an all time low. We barely have enough to last for winter with our current fishing excusions. For us to pull this off, we'll need a lot more traded to us, or a lot more hunting and fishing trips," Fishlegs said. "That's not to mention the amount we'll need for winter provisions."

"So how do we prepare?" Erik asked.

"Unless we can trade," Fishlegs said. "We won't be able to."

* * *

Hiccup pulled up the hood of his cloak and placed the mask on his face. He lifted his pack and quickly readied the rest of his costume. He had once again donned the guise of the Trader. Picking up his staff, he walked towards the circle of stones. "Out for another trip to Berk?" Nyte asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "I figured I might as well give them another opportunity to trade before we leave to seach for the Stardust Dragon."

"You sure this is a good idea?" Nyte asked.

"No," Hiccup confessed. "But I can't just leave them to starve."

"Want me to come with you?" Nyte asked.

"No," Hiccup said. "If someone else just shows up, they might get suspicious."

"So what do I do?" She asked.

"Make sure that Astrid doesn't get into trouble. Especially with Ravyn," Hiccup said. "She's been rather tense lately, and Astrid seems to make her more agitated."

"Maybe because she doesn't trust her," Nyte said.

"Why?" Hiccup asked. "I mean, Astrid might have been against us before, but she's always been honorable as long as I've known her."

"Yeah, well, you've been staring at her with the puppy eyes for your whole life," Nyte drawled.

"Yeah?" Hiccup said. "I may have liked her before," he countered. "But I'm not an idiot. She wasn't worth it then, and unless she's changed majorly in the past few weeks, she's not going to have earned my trust back for a while."

Nyte sighed. "Okay, fine." She walked back towards the hut. "Just be careful. And I'm telling Ravyn. She'll probably be waiting at the stone to scold you when you get back." She smirked before looking at Hiccup with worry. "Just make sure you get back safe."

"Sure thing," Hiccup said with a smile. Having said that, he turned and placed his hand on the stone in front of him. He activated the magic and pushed through to Berk.

* * *

"The trader's here!" A child said to her mother. "Can we buy something? Please?"

"We can't," her mother said soothingly. "We can't darling."

"Why not?" her daughter asked.

"Well, you can't eat rocks can you?" Her mother asked with a smile.

"Ma'am?" the trader asked. "May I ask why there seems to be less merchants around?"

"That's simple," the woman said. "We don't even have enough food as it is, we can't buy anything from other traders unless it's food."

"I see," the trader said. He sat resolutely and watched as people passed him by. Finally the chief walked towards him.

"You should leave. No one is here to purchase anything," the chief said.

"Yes," the trader acknowledged. "I have heard talk of food rations being low."

"Those are the circumstances right now," the chief said. "So unless you have food to sell, no one will purchase anything."

"I understand," the trader said as he began to pack his wares. "It's a dark day when a man cannot feed his family." He stood and walked towards the forest again.

"May I ask where you leave too?" the chief asked.

"You may ask, but I will not answer," the trader said. "I find trust hard to give. Especially to those who could come to hurt me later."

"Why would we hurt you?" the chief asked.

"A trader has no allegiances," he explained. "Therefore, anyone could be friend or foe, and the less that they know, the better for myself."

The chief watched as the man walked away and saw a flash of metal under the cloak. Probably some kind of weapon for his defence. A usual choice for most, especially if he was in the forest.

The trader walked into the forest and the chief turned back towards the great hall.

* * *

" _What are you doing?"_ Ravyn asked.

"They're going to starve," Hiccup said as he loaded up a cart with all sorts of foods. Mostly dried meat and bread, but he included fruits and vegetables, after all, try as they might, they did need other foods besides meat and bread.

" _And why is that our problem?"_ Ravyn asked.

"It's not," Hiccup said. "It's mine. I won't stand by and let children starve, and the others need to be around to take care of the children."

" _Not all of them have children to take care of though,"_ Ravyn countered.

"I can't just abandon them," Hiccup said. "Even if I never will go back to living there, I will not just leave them to starve to death."

Ravyn snorted. " _Damnit Hiccup,"_ she said. " _You and your thrice damned honor. Fine, I'll help you carry it to the stones. Any farther and you're on your own."_

"Of course," Hiccup said. He smiled at Ravyn. "Thanks."

" _Just don't get yourself killed,"_ Ravyn said.

"I didn't plan on it," Hiccup chuckled.

* * *

"Chief!" Stoick looked up to see the doors pushed open and a child, carrying a large sack of something ran in. "Look!" She shouted. She dropped the sack on the table. The sack was larger than she was! "It's food!"

Stoick reached inside and pulled out a loaf of soft bread. "Where did you get this?" He asked.

"Down in the square!" She said with a smile. "Come on!" She raced out, her little feet carrying her down towards the town square. Stoick followed and others followed. They came down in the rapidly approaching night to see several chests, sacks, and wooden crates. The stack was as tall as Stoick was, and he was amazed to see that each and every box was filled with food.

On the biggest chest was a note. Stoick picked it up and saw a simple message. "Use it well," he read aloud. The vikings tore open the crates and opened the chests to find them filled with dried meats, breads, cheeses, and other assorted foods. Baskets of fish were filled to the brim and many felt hope for the first time in many months.

Stoick looked around, looking for the one that could have given them this gift, but was unable to see the figure with bright green eyes watching from the forest. The figure walked away, a small smile on his face, and pain in his eyes.

 **A.N. Okay! Finally finished this chapter. I am so sorry that this is taking so long, but I will try to work on this more. I appreciate all the people that read this, and if any of you artistic people create fanart about any of my stories, let me know. Maybe I'll use one as the cover for this story. Anyway, please review, and have a good day.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N. Okay, sorry about how long it's taking me to post each chapter. I will work on that, and I will try to update more often. I've been rather busy lately and I'd rather do each chapter right. Anyway, please read and review.**

Hiccup took a special ink from the shelf. Infused with a material that others called quicksilver, it was much more conductive to magic than just normal ink. However, it was hard to make, and also very expensive, so he could only use it on certain things. He took out a simple pack and concentrated. He took the silvery red ink and began to paint runes on with a simple brush. As he finished the runes, he pushed energy into them. They began to glow a dark silvery glow with a slight reddish tinge. He felt his energy falter and he stumbled. "Woah," he muttered. "That was more than I expected."

"What are you doing?" Nyte asked.

"This bag will be able to hold all the food we could need now," Hiccup explained. "I enlarged the inside. I didn't expect it to take so much energy."

"Did you find that in a book?" Nyte asked.

"No," Hiccup said. "The beauty of runes is that even though it takes a little longer, it's much more versatile than spoken magic. It took a little more creativity, but it worked."

"How does it work?" Nyte asked.

"Basically," Hiccup explained. "I created a pocket dimension. It's got very specific dimensions, but it works for what we need."

"How big is it?" Nyte asked.

"It's about the size of this workshop," he answered. "All we need to do is put the food inside the pack and we'll be good to go."

"How long do you think we'll be gone?" Nyte asked. "We couldn't possibly need that much food."

"I don't know," Hiccup answered. "But it's always best to be prepared for the worst. That's how you keep from unwelcome surprises."

"Makes sense," she replied. "Eira and I are packed, and I don't know if Astrid even has anything to pack."

"That could be a problem," Hiccup said.

"How so?" Nyte asked.

"Really?" Hiccup asked. "Long term trip, only one set of clothes?"

"She can take them off to wash them," Nyte said like it was simple. "I mean, we do it."

"Humans are much more concerned about being naked around others than you guys," Hiccup said. "You guys always wait until the last moment and then wash them while you bathe."

"Hey," Nyte said indignantly. "It's efficient!"

"Yeah," Hiccup answered. "But it's strange to humans."

"Fine," she grumbled.

"Wait," Hiccup said. "Where'd Eira get extra clothes?"

"Oh, Darkfur gave them to her. She outgrew them last spring," Nyte explained. "I'm sure I can find some for Astrid too."

"Could you?" Hiccup asked. "Cause that would make things much easier."

"Sure thing Hiccup," she said. "Also, coincidentally it's wash day."

"Okay," Hiccup said. Then he paused. "Where's Astrid and Eira?"

* * *

Astrid and Eira walked through the forest, not paying attention to where they were going. "So what do you think's going to happen?" Astrid asked.

"I dunno," Eira replied. "We could be gone for weeks, and if we don't find the Stardust Dragon, we won't be able to end this war."

"This is a last attempt isn't it?" Astrid asked.

"Not for Hiccup," Eira answered. "Think about it. He's really only in this to help the dragons. Berk's kinda a side note to my understanding. I mean, would you really want to help the people that were responsible for most of the pain in your life?"

"No," Astrid answered sadly. "I still can't believe I did that to him."

"So what are you going to do?" Eira asked.

"I was literally given to him in a trade in the attempt to keep him from attacking Berk! I'm technically supposed to be his property! He has magic, is stronger than anyone I've met and has an extremely possessive dragon that wants nothing more than to incinerate me!" Astrid sighed. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I dunno," Eira answered. "But then again, I'm not really experienced in this kind of… stuff."

"Well, neither am I," Astrid answered. They continued walking and heard something in the forest. "What was that?" Astrid asked. They creeped through the forest, listening and hearing it get louder. Laughter and talking echoed through the sound of a waterfall, and As they came over a hill they were greeted by an unusual sight.

"What the fuck?!" Astrid hissed. She could see naked people in the water. Men, women, and children, young and old, all were in the river, naked, and washing clothes and themselves. "Nope!" She said as she turned away and grabbed Eira who had covered her eyes and was blushing profusely. "Nope nope nope." She walked away and Eira kept her eyes covered while Astrid hoped she wasn't blushing as hard as she felt she was.

"I see you walked into wash day," she heard someone said. Astrid whirled about to see Nyte smirking at the pair. "Surprised?" She asked.

"Humans are usually…" Astrid trailed off.

"More private?" Nyte asked. "We don't take that much time to clean clothes, so we usually just do it when we're washing up. It's efficient and takes less time.

"But you guys are all together!" Astrid exclaimed. "The men and women…!"

"It's just how we do things," Nyte said with a shrug. "C'mon, Hiccup's looking for you." She began to lead them back towards the hut and smirked at their obvious discomfort.

Astrid watched Nyte and began to wonder about others on the island. "Nyte, how old are you?"

"We don't measure time the same way you guys do," Nyte explained. "Our lifespans are longer than yours, and they aren't to a direct proportion. Some live much longer than others. I for one, am just a few years older than you, but my life is longer, so I'm a little bit younger than you if you take lifetimes into proportion."

"That's confusing," Astrid said.

"Just wait until you find an immortal," Nyte laughed.

"Immortal?" Astrid asked. "Like gods?"

"I'm not too good at explaining it," Nyte said. "You'll just have to ask Hiccup sometime." She let a glint enter her eye. "But I do know that he's talked to at least one god."

"What?" Astrid cried. "Who?"

"Dunno," Nyte said with a smirk. "I don't know all you human's silly deities. He was weird though, always talking as if they were good friends. He said something about a bet."

"What kind of bet?" Astrid asked.

"I dunno," Nyte answered. "Something about a few years of bad luck? Makes no sense to me."

"Wait, Hiccup had a few years of bad luck?" Astrid asked.

"I guess," Nyte answered. "Why?"

"He was cursed by Loki!" Astrid exclaimed. "But what was the bet about?"

"Something about if Hiccup survived past a certain time with his bad luck, Loki had to give him some kind of gift."

"Really?" Astrid asked. "What was it?"

"I dunno," Nyte said. "I didn't hear it. Hiccup laughed about it and flipped him off though." Nyte laughed. "I've never seen anyone so shocked before. He was standing there for a good five minutes before he finally left!" She wiped away a tear. "It was hilarious!"

"So Hiccup was cursed by Loki, then was blessed by Loki?" Astrid asked incredulously. "Well that explains the problems that Hiccup always had on Berk."

"Do you think Hiccup's met Thor?" Eira asked.

"I don't know who each god is," Nyte said. "I don't pay attention to that sort of thing."

"Don't you guys have gods?" Astrid asked.

"No," Nyte answered. "Well, not in the sense you guys do. We don't believe in beings that have have nothing better to do than mess with our lives. We do however believe that there are two driving forces to the world. Nature and time. Nature dictates what will happen, what problems come about, whether it's a storm, or a drought, it's up to her will, and Time is unrelenting, but also kind, allowing the progression of time so that we learn and grow, but also eventually die."

Astrid considered this, "But Hiccup can bypass those forces," she said. "So how does that fit in?"

"It doesn't," Nyte answered. "But we don't claim to have all the answers, we just claim that two forces or beings have control of our existence. The fact that Hiccup can manipulate them simply means that he can act outside their influence to an extent, but he is still susceptible to their choice. If nature were to send a rainstorm, Hiccup wouldn't be able to turn it away, and as time continues on, he too will age. They are patient, but always have at least some modicum of control."

Astrid fell silent. This made sense, and if there were multiple gods, why couldn't there be other beings of power.

"Why didn't Hiccup warn us about that?" Eira wondered.

"What?" Nyte asked.

"The wash day!" Eira cried, returning to their earlier conversation.

"Oh that," Nyte replied. "I don't think he remembered. He usually stays away during wash day."

"Yeah, I can see why," Astrid grumbled.

"Oh? Are you jealous?" Nyte asked with a smirk. "Would it have been better if he had been there?"

"N-no!" Astrid cried. "No! Not at all!" She shook her head. "I hate him! No! I don't want to see him naked!"

Nyte smirked. "I do."

"What?" Eira asked.

Nyte stopped and turned to the two. "Listen to me now. I like him. However, I understand that he has other things on his mind, and he's practically engaged to you Astrid." She stared at her before speaking again. "But I will warn you. You hurt him again, and I'll kill you. Ravyn would as well, but I'll do it first."

Astrid swallowed nervously, but didn't let her nervousness show. "I have no intention to marry Hiccup," she said. "So he'll have to get used to disappointment."

"I don't think that'll be too much of a dissapointment," Nyte said harshly. She sighed. "I want to like you. I want to be able to think you're better than what I thought, but everytime I think that, I remember Hiccup's face when he thought of you." She looked towards the hut in the distance. "He hated to talk about Berk. If he ever talked about it, there was nothing but pain. He'd be as vague as possible, and he only mentioned two people. One was his father, the chief, who he said he let down. And the other was you."

"Me?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, you," Nyte replied. "With his father, he planned to end this war, and was sure he could make his father understand later. But you?" She shook her head. "He cared about you, and I mean really cared about you. He got better at dragon training to impress not his father, but you. But then what did you do?" She looked at Astrid angrily. "You threw it back in his face, and so he left." She laughed dryly. "Goddamnit. I really hoped I could let this go." She wiped her eye. "But I can't," she said. "So I'll say this straight up. If you hurt him again, I'll kill you." She walked away and the two followed. Astrid deep in thought, and Eira a slight bit worried.

* * *

Nyte bit her cheek as she walked. She had hoped that Astrid wasn't as bad as she thought, but she seemed to be only grudgingly staying here. She liked Astrid, she was fun to be around, but Hiccup was doing all he could to help end this war, and she couldn't understand anything until it was right in front of her nose. Hiccup was kind to her, he helped her, he didn't treat her differently because she wasn't human, and he was honorable.

She was rather proud, of that she was sure, and she was probably the last to admit that she had a crush on someone. It was something for young pups, not for someone who was fully grown. But she did have one. She had a crush on Hiccup. "Goddamnit," she muttered. She wanted to be supportive of Hiccup if this happened, but she cared about him too much.

She shook herself out of her funk and continued to the hut. It would be time to go soon.

* * *

" _I still don't see why we can't leave her behind,"_ Ravyn complained. " _What's the point of her being around? She doesn't do anything worthwhile. The only thing she does, is fuck things up!"_

"Ravyn," Hiccup admonished her. "We can't just leave her here. She'll get herself killed, or something will go very wrong, so it's better to keep her with us."

Ravyn snorted at the thought. " _Would her getting herself killed really be that bad?"_ She turned to a open pile of fish and snagged one.

"Ravyn! We need those!" Hiccup called exasperatedly.

" _So? We can always find more,"_ Ravyn said.

"It's the principle that matters," Hiccup said with a playful scowl. He picked up a few fish and began placing them in another basket. He looked at Ravyn out of the corner of his eye and noticed her pout. He gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine, fine, what your highness wants, your highness will get." And with that, he tossed a large fish up in the air, causing Ravyn to perk up and quickly snatch the fish out of the air. She gratefully ate the fish and gave a catlike purr.

" _Thank you my loyal subject,"_ She said with a smile, continuing their banter. " _Now, may I have my mirror so that I may shine my scales to perfection?"_

"Of course your highness," Hiccup said. "Though you might break it."

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_ She asked harshly.

"Can you hold it?" Hiccup asked. "I was not aware of your new set of thumbs."

Ravyn laughed at this, it was a joke they had used many times about her lack of thumbs and his necessity to hold many things for her. " _Well, are you my thumbs then?"_

"What are you two doing now?" Nyte asked with a small smile as she walked in.

"Oh, just the usual," Hiccup said. "Ravyn steals a fish, I berate her. I relent and give her another. The cycle continues."

Nyte snickered and smiled at the two. "Well now, are we going to have enough fish for the trip?"

Ravyn stole another one to Hiccup's annoyance. "Not if she keeps eating them," he muttered.

"Then let's hurry," Nyte said. She walked over to the pile of fish and snagged a pair. "Little Chief's probably hungry," she said to Hiccup, explaining her actions.

" _That dragon's always hungry,"_ Ravyn snorted.

"So I'd better feed him," Nyte replied. "We don't need him trying to eat us."

" _Eh, I'd say feed Astrid too him, but she's too tough and scrawny,"_ Ravyn snarked.

"What's the problem with scrawny?" Hiccup asked. "I'm scrawny."

" _No, you're lean,"_ Ravyn countered. " _Much better than scrawny."_

"Whatever you say," Hiccup said. "But we do need to go."

"Then don't take so long," Nyte quipped with a playful smirk.

* * *

Hiccup placed the saddles on their respective dragons, and watched with slight pain and pity as Astrid tried to place her saddle on Stormfly. "C'mon Stormfly," Astrid pleaded. "Please help me out here."

" _I have no idea on how to put that thing on,"_ Stormfly said. " _Asking me how to do it is useless."_

Hiccup sighed and walked over. "Here," he said as he took the saddle. "First, you have it backwards," he turned it around. "Second, it needs to be moved back." He shifted it backwards. "Third, this strap goes around her underbelly, not her neck. This one goes under her neck." He fastened the two straps and stepped back. "Did you follow that?"

"I think so," Astrid answered quietly, slightly embarrassed.

"Good," Hiccup said. "Now let's go." He walked away back to Ravyn. "Eira, who do you want to ride with? You can't really fly on Mistwing."

" _Please don't try,"_ Mistwing whimpered.

Eira smiled reassuringly. "I won't. Hiccup, can I ride with you?"

"What do you think Ravyn?" Hiccup turned to the night fury.

" _She won't be a problem,"_ Ravyn said. " _I doubt she could weigh any more than a basket of fish."_

Hiccup chuckled. "She said yes if you didn't catch that," he told Eira. He climbed onto Ravyn's back and Eira climbed up behind him. She wrapped on arm around his waist and the other held Mistwing to her chest.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Nyte huffed goodnaturedly. She climbed onto Little Chief's back on the deerhide saddle that she had made herself with Hiccup's instruction. Astrid hesitantly climbed onto Stormfly's back and held the saddle firmly.

"Let's go," Hiccup said. Ravyn crouched and then leaped up, quickly followed by Nyte and Astrid following much more slowly. They rose into the air and began to fly towards the horizon due east.

"How are we going to find the Stardust Dragon?" Nyte asked.

"I don't know," Hiccup answered. "But someone has to have seen it. Dragon or human, someone will have some kind of idea."

" _That's your plan?"_ Stormfly asked. " _Great, so we're going to fly in circles and hope to find it, is that what you're saying?"_

"No," Hiccup drawled. "Ravyn, back me up here."

" _Hey, you got yourself into this,"_ Ravyn said. " _And besides, it's not much of a plan."_

"Well, do any of you have a better plan?" Hiccup asked. No one answered. "Okay then. Now that that's decided, let's find another island."

* * *

The dragons flew lower as the sun began to set. An island was below them, a beautiful forest with clear water and a white sand beach. It was small, but Hiccup could see a few dragons around. "There," he said. "That's our best place to land. We'll start again in the morning."

"Sounds good to me," Nyte said. "Anyone against that?"

" _Something seems different,"_ Ravyn said. " _Like I'm afraid to land there, but I need to."_

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked.

" _I don't know,"_ Ravyn said. " _Never mind, it'll be fine."_

"We can keep going," Hiccup said.

" _No,"_ Ravyn answered. " _It's fine, let's land."_

"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked.

" _Yes,"_ Ravyn answered. " _Now quit stalling."_

They flew down to the ground and the group dismounted carefully. Hiccup reached into the pack and pulled out several fur blankets before he looked around for wood. Nyte joined him and soon they had a stack of wood that when lit by a small burst of flame by Ravyn, cast a warm glow around them that relit the woods as the last of the sun disappeared into the night. Hiccup pulled out a few fish and handed one to the others before pulling out as much fish as he could for the dragons. It took several armloads, but eventually, he had the dragons all satisfied with the amounts they had been given.

"Well," he said. "We might end up having to spend some time fishing if this takes more than a week."

"We only have a week worth of food in there?" Nyte asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied bashfully. "I guess the dragons are a little more hungry than I anticipated."

" _We're right here,"_ Ravyn quipped.

"But you were eating, so I didn't think you were paying attention to us," Hiccup defended.

" _Still doesn't excuse you from talking about us behind our backs,"_ Ravyn huffed.

"It's not behind your back if I'm right in front of you," Hiccup countered exasperatedly. He sighed and walked over to Ravyn. "I'm not talking about you behind your back," he said to placate her. "I'm just explaining that you guys are eating more than us."

" _And you didn't pack enough fish,"_ Ravyn countered.

"No, you just kept eating it all," Hiccup returned with a small smiled.

" _But they taste so good,"_ Ravyn whined. " _What am I supposed to do? Just stare at them?"_

Hiccup chuckled. "No, but you're gonna need to help us fish later."

" _And how will I do that?"_ She asked indignantly. " _No thumbs, remember?"_

"We still have that net," Hiccup answered with a chuckle. Ravyn laid her ears back. "I know you don't really like that, but it works."

" _It's annoying,"_ Ravyn whined. Hiccup looked at her expectantly. She sighed. " _Fine. If we run out of fish, I'll pull the net."_

"What does she mean, 'the net'?" Eira asked Nyte.

"It's a big net that they use to catch a lot of fish. But, it drags quite a bit, so she doesn't like to use it," Nyte explained. "It takes a lot of work to pull the net, and she's probably the only one that'll do it."

Eira nodded as she understood now. "How much fish does it usually bring in?"

"Quite a bit," Nyte answered. "Which is why Hiccup is saying they'll use the net." Eira stifled a yawn, but Nyte noticed. "You tired?" She asked. Eira nodded, and Nyte pulled her over by the fire. Eira wrapped herself in her furs and Mistwing flew sleepily into her arms. Eira's eyes closed soon after Mistwings and the two fell asleep.

"Wow," Hiccup said. "They must have been tired."

"No kidding," Nyte chuckled. "We've been flying for quite a while." Hiccup nodded in agreement and reached into the pack, pulling out a book that Nyte recognised as his book that taught him his orders of magic. Nyte raised an eyebrow at him. "Doing some studying?" She asked.

"I'm a bit behind," Hiccup answered. "I need to learn how to make bonds and contracts."

" _What are those even for?"_ Ravyn asked,

"I don't really know," Hiccup answered. "That's what I want to find out." He placed his palm on a page of the book and a small flash of light, barely noticeable in the weak light, emanated from the book. He turned the page and began to read.

"C'mon," she said to Astrid. "Get some sleep. He'll be reading for a while even before he does anything."

Astrid nodded, but didn't reply. She walked towards Stormfly and laid down on her furs. She kept her distance though, as she was still uneasy. Nyte walked to Little Chief and laid down against his warm side. She wrapped herself in her furs and closed her eyes. Astrid didn't sleep however. She watched as Hiccup began to mutter something. A shimmering gold ring of glyphs, with seemingly moving symbols around the edge. She saw him reach into the ring with his arm. It disappeared and she had to keep herself from gasping.

He pulled his arm back out and she saw some kind of rolled up paper in his hands. He unrolled it and the glowing ring disappeared. She saw him read it and scoff. He stretched out his hand and a small pale gold glowing orb materialised in his palm. "Figures my first attempt at a contract reaches you."

"Aw," the orb said. "And I thought you'd be happy to see me." Hiccup dropped the orb and it smashed into the ground, forming a large gold ring where a figure rose from the ground. He seemed to be covered in gold, which flowed off him, revealing a figure with long black hair, mischievous green eyes, and a gold horned helmet. Golden pieces of armor covered an emerald green robe, with several knives at various parts of his body.

"Loki," Hiccup said evenly. "Why must my first attempt to create a contract reach you?"

"Hey," Loki said, raising his hands in a pacifying manner. "A first contract is always to a random benefactor. I know that, you know that, and in all honesty, I think even Odin knows that. Otherwise, he'd be here trying to take off your head."

"He's not happy about the bet is he?" Hiccup asked.

"Nope," Loki chuckled. "But then again, neither am I."

"I told you not to bet on that snake," Hiccup said. "Odin thought you were correct in your choice so he bet alongside you."

"But you knew that snake was slow didn't you?" Loki asked.

"You were betting on a snake," Hiccup answered. "The odds of it doing what you like is low."

"Fair enough," Loki conceded. "But back to the manner at hand. You're looking for a contract, so what do you want?"

"I would like answers," Hiccup said. "But you're not the right person to ask for that."

"Oh c'mon Hiccup," Loki chuckled. "When have I led you astray?" Hiccup just looked at him. "Okay, fine, that one time. Oh, and that other time. And last week. Alright, so I'm not the most trustworthy. God of mischief, remember?"

"Oh I very much remember," Hiccup said. "But I'm not interested in you messing with my life anymore."

"How's that going by the way?" Loki asked. "I mean, I thought my blessing would have you surrounded by girls desperate for your-"

"That's enough," Hiccup cut in. "I don't need you interfering in my love life either."

"What?" Loki asked innocent. "I thought you'd appreciate a harem."

"Being as that it hasn't happened," Hiccup said. "And the fact that I feel like there's some strings attached, I don't want your blessing."

"No strings attached," Loki said. "It would just be amusing to see my idiotic brother's face when he finds that a young man that is better than any 'traditional' viking can get more women to bang than he can."

"Seriously?" Hiccup asked. "You're still trying to humiliate him? Doesn't he do that by himself?"

"Eh, not so much right now," Loki answered. "He's finally started to smarten up, so it's a little less fun with him."

"So you're looking for another way to needle him?" Hiccup asked.

"Hey, we're brothers," Loki said with a smirk. "What do you expect? We heckle each other, but we're still family."

Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "Y'know, even having met you before, you astound me with the differences between you and the myths."

"Blame the idiotic priests," Loki said. "Hades is getting tired of Zeus being a prick all day but getting all the glory."

"How wide is their influence these days?" Hiccup asked.

"It's become stagnant," Loki answered. "But they've gotten lazy since the trojan war, so that would account for it."

"Maybe you should talk to Eris about it," Hiccup chuckled.

"Hell no!" Loki laughed. "She caused the Trojan war! She has no ability in subtlety." They laughed. "How about this," Loki began. "If you accept my blessing, I'll give you this." He pulled out a circular object with a series of gears and a needle in the center. "It'll point you where you want to go. Any object, person, or place, if you want to go there, it'll take you there."

"That's all you want for this contract?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah," Loki said. "Actually, no, one more thing. You have to have at least three girls in your harem. I don't care if they're human or not. And you have until a month after ending this war to do it, or I get to pick your three."

"Wow," Hiccup said. "You really want to have this happen don't you?"

"It'll be hilarious!" Loki laughed. "The others will be so pissed! Fair warning, a few valkyries might try to kill you, but I'm sure you'll be fine."

"So there is some danger," Hiccup said. "This is rather… lenient for you."

"Eh," Loki said. "I get bored, so what? It'll be fun to watch you bumble your way through it."

"Yeah, yeah," Hiccup laughed. "How about instead of them being in my harem, I have to ask them. That way I don't push any of them into it."

"That's why my blessing will help you," Loki laughed. "You won't really have to ask them. They'll come to you."  
"You really are a jackass," Hiccup said with a shake of his head. "I'm surprised your wife doesn't get pissed at you more often."

"Hey, she's got a bet with me on it too," Loki answered. "So do we have a deal?"

"I dunno yet," Hiccup said, pulling out the paper. "Let me read it over." Magical contracts when spoken aloud would come into writing so that there was no worry about cheating or changing the contract. "Fine. You have a deal." He reached into the circle, and grasped Loki's hand. A golden chain encircled their arms, binding them together. "I accept the contract as specified in the document." The paper unfurled and floated between them.

"I accept Loki, God of Mischief as my partner in contract," Hiccup stated.

"And I accept Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Mage of Runes and Talismans, Friend of Wolves, Lord of Beasts, and Master of Natural and High magic as my partner in contract," Loki answered.

A small flash of light emanated from the contract and Astrid could see some writing flash onto the contract. The chain evaporated into light and Hiccup stepped back. Loki tossed him the disk, which Hiccup caught. "It's an enchanted Sunstone," Loki explained. That and with several components created by the Dwarves. Don't lose it, you won't find another like it in existence."

Hiccup nodded. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," Loki said with a smile. "Now, don't forget your end of the bargain, or I might just have you marry a Giantess."

Hiccup winced. "Yeah, that wouldn't be fun." Loki waved and sank back through the ring of light and it extinguished. A light emanated from Hiccup's wrist and Astrid could see glowing symbols in a ring around Hiccup's arm. The band wasn't more than an inch wide, and it soon dimmed, but it was there. Astrid watched as Hiccup pocketed the device and laid back against Ravyn's back, before pulling the furs around him. Ravyn's tail curled up around him too and he smiled contently as she let out a purr.

Astrid rolled over and closed her eyes. What had she seen? Hiccup was blessed by Loki, who wasn't acting like anything she had expected, and had treated Hiccup almost as an equal. It was proof that the gods were real, but why hadn't they helped them before then? She let sleep overtake her as these thoughts swam through her mind.

 **A.N. Wow! That took way too long to write! I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. I've been writing other stories and their chapters, I've had finals, and I just took way too long to finish this. I am so sorry. Please review, and have a good day, I'll try not to take so long to update.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N. Wow! I was unaware that so many people would like Loki that much! I always liked his character, but it always kinda ticked me off that he was constantly portrayed as evil. I prefer the version that he's mischievous, but still is on the side of the gods. But a huge thank you to all of you that reviewed about the previous chapter, and a huge thank you to all my readers! I have a small following, maybe I should lead a revolt, just kidding! But seriously, thank you all for sticking with me through this story. Also quick note, in this gods from different areas, norse, greek, egyptian, etc. all of them can interact with each other, and Maat is actually the goddess of balance or order. I looked it up to make sure. Anyway, read and review, and have a great day.**

Astrid was floating in darkness. She looked in other directions but still saw nothing. A light flared in front of her, startling her, and drawing her attention to it. It was small, possibly around the size of a small coin, but it glowed brightly. It began to weave back and forth, and Astrid allowed a small smile at it. Suddenly it spun around her, and she found herself wrapped in golden glowing chains.

"What the hell?!" She cried. With a shout she found herself being pulled through the darkness, but now, there was another place of light. It was a simple lantern, but as the light began to reach farther, she saw a simple table with two chairs on either end. The person from before was sitting in the other chair. "Loki?" she asked.

"The one and only," he said. "Have a seat."

The chains slammed her into the chair and tied her to it. "Well, not like I have a choice," she spat.

"Oh you always had a choice," Loki said. "But you've made some rather poor choices in your life, so this time you're going to listen first and then choose." He leaned back and snapped his fingers. Two tankards of mead appeared in on the table. "Y'see, everyone thinks I'm a heartless bastard," he said. "Oh! He's the adopted son of Odin! He's always been second best! He must hate his brother!" He said in a high pitched sing song voice. He stopped and leaned forward, looking Astrid straight in the eye. "I am not like that at all. I will stand with my brother when the time to fight comes, I do not feel jealousy about him getting his birthright as the actual son of Odin, and I do not care that I am adopted. I am an Asgardian, and that is due to my acceptance of the fact." He took a drink from his tankard. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Astrid spat.

"Temper, temper," Loki chuckled. "No wonder my brother chose you for championship."

"Championship?" Astrid asked.

"Oh yes," Loki said. "We both had a bet. He said you would end up leading Berk, through a marriage to Snotlout, as no one would choose Hiccup to be Chief, and Snotlout would be stupid enough to just hand the reins of leadership to you." He took another drink. "I disagreed. I saw that Hiccup was smart. He was a natural leader, with ideas that could turn your village around. I bet that he would become the leader."

"What does this have to do with it?" Astrid asked.

"Well, during another bet," Loki said. "I had to give Hiccup bad luck, and I did, but there were so many things that could not be accounted to bad luck. Why do you think that happened?"

"I don't know," Astrid said. "Maybe cause he was clumsy?"

"Nope," Loki said. "That would be your patron. Thor cheated just a little bit. Enough that it would be hard to prove. He really hates losing. Anyway, Odin found out, and the bet was cancelled. However, the magic behind it was not. You two were gifted. Thor gave you athletic talent, strength, and cunning in battle."

"Get to the point," Astrid snarled.

Loki glared at her. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "The scones are delicious." He snapped his fingers, and a plate of scones appeared. He picked one up and stuffed half into Astrid's mouth, leaving the other half outside. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, I gifted Hiccup intelligence, more so than he had. But in reality, it wasn't much more. In all honesty, I could not give him much more than he already had. I boosted his creativity, his ingenuity, and his tenacity. I also gave him increased healing. Do you know why?" He looked at her. "Because he was tormented constantly by his cousin, and the twins. You looked the other way, everyone looked the other way."

He took a bite out of a scone. "But that's not really the point. You two were gifted, but Hiccup had more just by himself, so he was better suited for the Chiefdom. But he chose the path of a hero instead, learned, fought, toiled so that he could get stronger. And you vikings. After he left, everything went to shit. And then we come to his slight problem. You are technically owned by him." Astrid's eyes widened. "Yes, owned. Not married, owned. If I was him, you'd be tormented as you tormented him. He loved you, and you threw it in his face. Once he started to show promise, you tried to stamp it out. I'd probably use you as a personal slave. You have a nice body after all." Astrid glared at him with fear and anger. "But Hiccup won't do that. He's too damned honorable. So, I will let you have this as advice. You will be owned by Hiccup, the way that old magic such as with human sacrifices work is with intent, and as he learns about bonds and contracts, the magic in the contract will be pulled into effect. He cannot break it, and neither can you. So, I will give you some advice."

Loki stood up. "You get to choose what your nature of the bond becomes. You could become his wife, or you could become his slave. One or the other will happen, but it is up to you to choose. You already hurt him once, and plenty of his friends don't like you because of it." He stretched. "Don't fuck things up. Hiccup's a better man than most gods, me included. Thor? He'd be using you as a personal cumdump. Find out what side you're on."

Loki began to walk away. "Oh, and one more thing," he turned back to her. "With my blessing came some increase in magical potency, and the ability of some limited shapeshifting. He'll learn how to control the shapeshifting with practice, but the magical potency could cause some accidental magic backlash, so watch out for that."

With that last remark, Loki began to walk off into the darkness and Astrid was left by herself in the darkness, a scone stuffed in her mouth, and chained to a chair. She struggled a bit, trying to get free. Nothing happened. She struggled harder and bit through the scone, letting half drop to the floor. It did taste good, like strawberries, but right now, she wanted to get out. She swallowed the scone and began to struggle more. "Goddamned chains!" She yelled.

"Oh yeah," Loki's voice echoed through the dark. "I forgot about those." A snap of his fingers sounded through the darkness and Astrid felt the chains, and the chair, and everything around her dissipate. She was falling now. She screamed, closed her eyes, and sat up, awake and alert. She looked around and saw everyone else was still asleep. She tried to calm her heartbeat and looked at the prone form of Hiccup. He was still asleep, but she was still scared of him. Would he actually own her?

* * *

" _What are they?"_

" _I dunno."_

" _Think they're friendly?"_

" _What's that big black dragon?"_

Hiccup opened his eyes to see several baby dragons huddled around them. They were sniffing them, and prodding them, and in some cases, tasting them. One baby nightmare was currently doing that to his metal leg.

"Uh, that's not for eating," Hiccup said.

" _He said something!"_ One cried. " _What did he say?"_

" _I don't know!"_ Another yelled back. " _How should I know? I don't speak human!"_

Hiccup activated the runes in his mask and slipped it on. "Can you understand me now?" he asked.

" _Woah!"_ One cried. " _That's cool!"_

" _What is it?"_ Another asked.

" _What are you?"_ A third chimed in. Soon he was being peppered in questions faster than he could even think to answer them.

" _What are you guys doing?"_ Another dragon called. Hiccup looked up to see an adult Nadder watching them with some apprehension. " _Quit bothering the humans."_

"It's fine," Hiccup said. "It was just a little startling. No harm done."

" _A human that speaks to dragons?"_ She wondered aloud. " _Impressive. You should come meet our elder."_

"Yes Ma'am," Hiccup answered. "Just let me wake my friends up."

"Already awake, Hiccup," Nyte said with a yawn. "Your little friends are quite noisy."

"Not my fault," Hiccup said. "I'm just going to say that now."

"But we're still gonna blame you," Nyte said with a smirk. She began to pack the furs back into the pack.

"Why?" Hiccup asked.

"Cause it's fun," Nyte chuckled.

"Yeah yeah," Hiccup drawled. "All in good fun until someone gets mad. And usually that's Ravyn."

"And what will she do?" Nyte asked.

"She's lit my pants on fire before," Hiccup answered. "And I only have so many pairs of pants."

" _Aw,"_ Ravyn said as she opened her eyes. " _And I was hoping for some fun."_

"We're here just to rest up and then we'll go find the Stardust dragon," Hiccup said. "Though the dragons here might want me to speak to their elder."

"Elder?" Eira asked as she began packing up too.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied. "Don't know what it's about though."

"Can we come too?" She asked.

"I can check," Hiccup said. "But I don't think it'll be a problem." He turned to the Nadder and activated the rune again. "Would it be okay if my friends come as well?" He asked.

" _I see no problem with that,"_ the Nadder said. " _Though some others might."_

"Like who?" Hiccup asked.

" _Some dragons are very wary around humans,"_ the Nadder explained. " _I do not know why."_

"I see," Hiccup said. "We will keep that in mind."

The group finished packing and then followed the Nadder into the woods. They followed, stepping over fallen tree trunks and over small boulders with bite marks over them, likely from gronkle babies that were teething. As they followed, they finally came to a clearing.

" _Come all and listen,"_ Hiccup heard. He felt a wave of simple magic that he recognised as translative magic. He found the source, an elderly Terrible Terror. She sat on a stone and several hatchlings eagerly sat in front of her and listened. " _Come and listen to the story of the first dragons and the fallen goddess, the dragoness."_

"Dragoness?" Hiccup wondered.

" _Long before dragons existed,"_ the elder began. " _Humans ruled the earth. This was not something that was disputed, though many other beings came forward as 'Elder races' as well. But our focus is on one child."_ She blew a small flame onto the ground in front of her and Hiccup felt another small burst of magic.

" _She is one of the few that can effectively use magic,"_ The Nadder explained to him in a quiet whisper.

The fire cast shadows on the stone even in the light of the morning. And as she began to speak, shapes took form. " _The child was different. She did not care for the eating of meats, but cared for many creatures. Her mother was her only family as her father was dead after seeking meat for their sustenance."_ A shadow of a young girl took form.

" _The child was different. She did not like the games the other children played, nor did she like the stories the adults proudly proclaimed about great hunts with magnificent beasts. Instead, she created. She would use her knife to cut bark from the wood and wood from the branch to create figures. She would create creatures of wood and with the juice of berries, would paint them. She would paint images of creatures, human and not."_ The child moved to lift a brush to a figure in her hands.

" _But the other children found her different, so they shunned her, and beat her, and drove her away whenever they could. The adults did not care for her besides her own mother, and when her mother became sick, her last prayer was for her daughter to have a friend."_ The shadows took the form of a girl beside a bed that held the form of what could only be her mother.

" _Gods of all kinds, old and new heard her prayer, and many decided to help the child,"_ a shadowy form of a council took shape.

" _But what about the dragons?"_ One baby nightmare asked.

" _Patience,"_ the elder said with a soft smile. " _The gods decided to give the child the gift of a friend. One of her own choosing. They told her to choose a figure to be her friend. She chose one that she had spent the most time on. One with wings, carefully carved scales, and a motley of colors. It had four clawed legs and a tail to help it steer. When she chose it, the gods decided to give it life. They placed the fire of life from prometheus and it's wood became flesh and the scales became hard and it grew to twice her size. Through this gift, old magic was enacted, giving the creature power unlike those that had been seen. The creature was given a breath of fire, as the fire of life burned through its veins."_ A shadow of a dragon showed with the child standing in front of it, embracing it.

" _The child now had a friend, but one that was vastly different from humans. The children found it first, having driven her away and drawing the ire of the creature. It was given the name dragon as they attributed it to the serpent. As the dragon protected it's friend, the children fled in terror, calling for help. The adults rose to the plees of their children, each taking what they had and trying to kill the child's new friend."_ The shadows formed the image of men charging with spears towards the dragon protecting the child.

" _Distraught, the child asked the dragon to take her away,"_ The shadowy dragon took off, the child on its back. " _They flew away to a different island, at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. The child and dragon lived there for a time, helping each other and finding the necessary items for life."_

" _But the dragon was lonely,"_ The elder continued as the dragon shadow looked out over the ocean. " _He wished for others like him. He was alone, and the child at least had others like her in the world. So the child asked for help again. But this time, the gods were reluctant. They did not want more dragons as they had strength that they did not. Only a few gods took pity on the creature and from the earth, created a mate for the dragon."_ Another dragon shadow, this one smaller, and with a longer tail.

" _Within a few months, the dragons had a nest of infants to take care of and the child was happy to help. But as time continued, the infants grew, but they looked slightly different. They were weaker, their fire lesser, but they still lived. The child grew as well, but differently as the fire of life that resided in her first friend began to change her. She began to take on dragon like characteristics, growing a pair of wings, two horns sprouted from the back of her head, and a tail formed behind her."_ The child's shadow began to change to match the story.

" _The child continued to grow and the gods became fearful. The girl's teeth lengthened and though she did not hunt the more sentient creatures, she developed an appetite for meat, much like how the infant dragons had. The marvelous thing about humans,"_ The elder continued. " _Is their ability to adapt, to change to suit their needs, and as she came in contact with magic and grew, it took root in her, giving her an affinity for fire, and scales over parts of her body, making her more and more like a dragon."_

" _Did she become a dragon?"_ One asked.

" _No,"_ The elder answered. " _The old magic recognised her as the mother of dragonkind and as such, she was revered. She was the dragoness, a human that created the ideas of dragons, and the gods had helped her. Through this, she became like unto a god."_

" _The gods were fearful however and many thought that they had made a mistake,"_ The elder continued. " _They feared that humans would fall prey to dragons and that they had given too much power to the dragons and the dragoness. So they put it to a vote as to what should be done. Several decided that they were to dangerous, but others asked them to stand by their work. The leader of these was Loki, the human norse god of mischief. Though he was mischievous, he cared for the child and her creativity, her playfulness, and felt that he must take responsibility for his action to help her."_ A image of Loki with his horned helmet took form looking at another form with a cape and feathered helmet, each facing each other aggressively. " _But the human greek god Ares wanted the dragons destroyed or captive to serve them. Many gods from all sides of the earth took sides, but finally, the human gods, norse Odin, greek Zeus, and egyptian Maat all decided on a deal. The dragoness would live as long as she did not fly high enough and dragons could live in peace as long as they did not directly challenge the gods._

" _But what happened to the dragoness?"_ A small gronkle asked.

" _The goddess Hel was not happy,"_ The elder said. " _She felt that the gods were too lenient and now they were going to make a large mistake. She felt that Ares was correct in his beliefs, but also felt that if she did not act, they would be destroyed."_ The shadow of a figure that could only be described as Hel formed against the rock. " _She created the first Wyrm, and soon after made more. They hungered for flesh and had specific circumstances to reproduce, and as such, only gods would be thought to be able to kill them as Wyrms were powerful and extremely deadly. Hel put a small Bloodwyrm on the first dragon and it began to eat him from the inside. The child took notice and was unable to do anything to help save her friend. She had grown in years, now being more of a young woman, but she still did not have the power to save her friend."_

" _So she took to the skies, flying high so that she could find the gods and ask for their help."_ The shadows took form of the child flying, her wings outstretched. " _But the gods saw this and understood that this was in breach of their deal. Many who would advocate for the child's life were not present, and so the gods chose to kill the child. But Odin, could not order her death as he felt sorry for the child and understood she meant no harm. But he still had to act according to the agreement that they had made. Instead, he ordered the separation of her powers. The other gods agreed, and they struck her down. Separating her into three parts. One part held her wisdom that came with magic and her life experience. The second held her power and strength that she contained. The third, held her personality, her ability, and skill. The three parts were separated and fell to the earth again."_

" _But what happened to her?"_ A young nadder asked. " _She didn't die did she?"_

" _No one knows,"_ the elder said. " _But I believe that the parts are still alive somewhere, and if they are brought together, the dragoness will return."_

" _And what will she do?"_ A slightly older dragon asked. " _Take revenge?"_

" _I do not know,"_ the elder answered. " _I believe that will be up to her. It will be her own life to live. But that is something that I do not know. Now run along young ones."_

The little dragons all stood up and all ran towards the forest, each chattering with the others, talking about games to play. The elder turned to see the humans and their dragons. " _Hello,"_ She said simply. " _I'm guessing you heard the story? It's from hundreds of years ago, and most don't believe it anymore, but I know inside me that it is true."_

" _I have never heard that before,"_ Ravyn said.

"Neither have I," Hiccup agreed.

" _It is a tale that not many remember anymore,"_ the elder stated. " _But I remember, and as long as I live, I will continue to tell others."_

"That is admirable," Hiccup replied. "I was told you would want to speak with me?"

" _Well,"_ The elder said as she sat up straight and stretched. " _A human that understands the language of dragons is strange, but is not unheard of. There was another that came through here a few years ago, but she stays in a different nest with an alpha."_

" _There's an Alpha around here?"_ Ravyn asked. " _Why hasn't the alpha helped clear out the queen?"_

" _The alpha is old,"_ The elder answered. " _If he were to attack, he would lose as it is her home advantage. If she were to attack him, she would lose as he has the advantage of being in his element. As such, they cannot attack each other, giving each other a certain truce, if you will. If the alpha dies, then his entire nest becomes the queens by the laws of old magic. If the queen dies, which would be very unlikely, then the dragons she controls are now his. He feels that it would be better to protect those he can, rather than try, and fail, to protect them all."_

"Sounds cowardly," Eira said. "But it makes sense."

"It does sound cowardly," Hiccup said. "But that's because your thinking of it like you would a hero in a story that doesn't rest when there is any sort of problem. In real life, people, or dragons, get old. They lose their edge and physical strength. They have to work with wisdom instead of strength and because of that, I understand why the alpha is doing what he's doing."

"But we're not doing that," Eira answered.

"Nope," Hiccup answered. "We're young, and stupid, and honestly, we're going up against incredible odds."

"You are not stupid," Nyte admonished Hiccup. "You are one of the smartest people I know."

"Fine," Hiccup said with a laugh. "I'm crazy then, but the point is, we have decided it would be best to finish this, and so we are following through with this."

" _You seek to end the queen?"_ The elder asked. " _Then you will need ancient magic. She is old, but has not lost strength. While time holds less significance to some dragons, she has no reason to ever move unless she is attacked. Because of this, her power just stays dormant, but when she does, you will need strength."_

"So what do we do?" Hiccup asked.

" _You are a human mage, right?"_ The elder asked. " _Then you should know many ways to tap into old magic. The magic of the earth, the sky, the oceans."_

"Are you talking about natural magic?" Hiccup asked.

" _I do not know the human name for it,"_ The elder said with a shake of her head.

"Natural magic of that magic requires a conduit," Hiccup said. "And the most powerful of them are created from beings of power. Scales of powerful dragons, a fang of a vampire, a foot or antler from a jackalope, all of those could become a conduit, but I doubt a conduit will help to stop the queen."

" _Take her scale,"_ The elder said, gesturing to Ravyn. " _She holds great power. Take a scale from her, and a scale from the queen. Do it and you will have a powerful conduit, as you called it."_

"That could work," Hiccup said. "But I'm not going to just take a scale from Ravyn."

" _It's fine Hiccup,"_ Ravyn said. " _A single scale is a small price to pay for finishing the queen. Besides, they grow back."_

"I'm still not doing that until we get back. I would rather not take your scales unless absolutely necessary," Hiccup said.

" _I understand, Hiccup. But I would give my other tailfin to end the queen,"_ Ravyn said with determination.

" _A single scale should suffice,"_ The elder said. " _But that is all I can suggest."_

"I thank you for your advice," Hiccup said. "We also are looking for what we believe to hold the secret to defeating the queen."

" _Then I wish you luck,"_ the elder said with a slight bow of her head.

"Thank you," Hiccup said, returning the gesture. The group began to walk away in silence, watching as adult dragons watched their children and the young dragons played. "This is why I am fighting the queen," Hiccup said. Astrid looked at him. "They are here, safe, and because they are outside the queen's influence, they are safe from her tyranny. But if the queen decides she wants more, she will take control of this island and many others. To keep them safe is more of a priority than the vikings."

Astrid thought about this. The dragons truly had cared about Hiccup more than they had. He was going all in on this. If this worked, what would the dragons do? What would the vikings do? Would they keep killing dragons? And if they did, what would Hiccup's response be?

 **A.N. Yes! Another chapter finished! I went and tried to get more chapters done quickly, so I hope this one suffices. Also to clear things up, the story that the elder spoke of will come into play in this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so please review, and have a good day.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N. Hello all you wonderful readers! Okay, so when I was writing this, I saw the trailer for the third How to train your dragon movie. I am just going to apologise in advance because I'm not sure that I'll work that movie into this fic. Maybe I'll be able to work it into this story, but I'm not entirely sure. Also, this chapter has taken a long time because I've been really busy lately. Super busy. Like so busy, I haven't even had access to my computer for days on end, so I'm sorry. Anyway, on to the story, please read and review.**

"Let's get going," Hiccup said as they all finished packing their things. They all mounted their dragons and took off. They rose into the air and Hiccup looked at the sunstone. It pointed due east, the needle pointing directly towards the sun. "That way," Hiccup said and the group began to fly towards the sun.

* * *

The Queen awoke. She was hungry. Perhaps a light snack? A gronkle would be easy to eat, and it would further cement her power. No, that would not be nearly enough. " _I hunger,"_ she growled. It echoed through the chamber, and she heard several muttering and fearful whispers. So they did hear her. " _Go,"_ She commanded. " _Attack, bring me food, and those that do not bring enough…"_ She chuckled darkly. " _You know what will happen. Now go."_ With those words, dragons flew straight up, to the sides, through the tunnels, all of them leaving so that they could find food. She chuckled. Perhaps if they pleased her, she would let them see their children. That should help keep them in line. She sank down into the magma below, letting the melted rock wash over her. It would harden when she surfaced, strengthening her scales even more. None could possibly hope to pierce her hide. Her crown of horns had enough stone layered onto them that they formed an entire plate, and besides where she had to remove the stone at her joints, eyes and mouth, she would be impenetrable. She could use magic to protect her weak points from the magma if needed and that left some points open, but no one would be able to do anything to her. She was well and truly, invincible.

* * *

Erik stood in the shadows of the great hall. Something was off. It had been awhile since the last raid, so they were due for one, but still, something was off. There was no rain, but a cold wind blew through the town. Winter was almost there, and they needed to capture at least one dragon for the plan to work. He heard something scuttle away and he turned towards the sound. Nothing was there, but he had heard something. He quietly walked towards the sound and drew his weapon. He peered around the corner slowly. He was greeted by bright yellow eyes, and a fanged snout. "DRAGON RAID!"

* * *

"You sure this is gonna work?" Gustav asked Tuffnut as he aimed what looked like two bows on a wheelbarrow.

"Absolutely," Tuffnut said with a smile. He thought back to where he had found his new toy.

- _-Flashback-_

"What are we doing here?" Tuffnut asked.

"I told you," his sister said. "I just want to see what Hiccup was always working on."

"We already know that it's just a bunch of junk," Tuffnut whined. "Nothing he made ever worked."

"But it was cool," Ruffnut countered.

Tuffnut considered this. "True. Alright, so what are we looking for?" He looked around the back of Gobber's blacksmithing stall and reached his hand into a bucket before shouting in pain. "Ah! Who puts nails in a bucket!" He cried.

"I dunno," Ruffnut said as she rolled her eyes. "Maybe Gobber?"

"Still!" He whined. "It's a stupid place to put nails!"

"Just look for something weird," Ruffnut muttered.

"Like this?" Tuffnut asked as he pointed to a strange contraption that looked like a wheelbarrow almost.

"Yeah," Ruffnut said. "The problem is that it probably won't work."

"You sure?" Tuffnut asked as he peered down at the device. "It looks fine to me." He tapped it and it sprang up, a bow shooting into the air, and launching a bola which wrapped Ruffnut up and threw her to the ground.

"You idiot," Ruffnut complained. "Get this off of me!"

"Well, we know it works," Tuffnut said as he began to unwind the bola from his sister. "Do you think the Chief will let us keep it?"

"What are you doing?" Hissed a voice. The twins looked up to see Fishlegs, his face aghast. "If the chief finds you here, he just might kill you!"

"Pff, right," Tuffnut said with a smirk. "Like he'd kill us. We're too much fun. Injure, maim, or punish? Probably."

"And besides," Ruffnut chimed in. "Hiccup probably built something we can use against the dragons. I mean, he said he shot a Night Fury, and that Night Fury obviously didn't take a liking to that."

"Are you saying that," Fishlegs thought hard. "His invention actually worked?"

"Well, we have a trussed up Thornston here," Tuffnut said with a chuckle. "So I bet it's functional."

"Seriously, get me out of here," Ruffnut complained.

"In a minute, sis," Tuffnut said, brushing her off. "So, Fishlegs, do you think we could possibly get a few more of these made?"

"It might be possible," Fishlegs said. "But we'd need the actual schematics as well. I don't think even Gobber could recreate one of these without actual schematics."

"What are schematics?" Tuffnut asked. "Are they like drawings?"

"Tuff," Ruffnut whined. "Get me out of here. I'm losing feeling in my feet. These ropes are tight."

"I guess that might be one way of interpreting them," Fishlegs mused. "Why, did you find some?"

"I found this," Tuffnut replied, holding a large book with pages sticking out, and several drawings. Various designs, pictures, and even just notes about different things for blacksmithing.

"Let me go!" Ruffnut shouted, rolling around.

"These might work," Fishlegs said, looking through the book. He saw images of various landscapes, well drawn images of various villagers, several of Astrid at different ages. But what really caught his eye, was a small set of drawings. A dragon that they had seen before. The Night Fury. And with it, designs for a saddle, a tailfin, different inscriptions of symbols. " _Weird,"_ Fishlegs thought. " _I recognise some of these things from the Rider. The tailfin on the Night Fury. Could Hiccup have designed the saddle and tailfin? Did the Rider make him do that? Or did he capture Hiccup?"_ He ran it through his head before focusing again on the task at hand.

"Hey!" Ruffnut yelled. "Get me the fuck out of here!"

"What is all this shouting?" Stoick shouted as he stepped in. He froze. "You have thirty seconds to explain before I get my axe," he growled.

Immediately they all began clamoring to be heard, each explaining what was happening, creating a cacophony of noise that was unable to be understood. "Stop!" Stoick shouted. "Tuffnut! Explain."

"Well, the bola had to have worked," Tuffnut explained. "Otherwise, how would the Night Fury have been down there to get Hiccup, so his inventions had to work. So I figured, we should see if we could borrow one, or build others like them so that they could be used against the dragons."

"But it does make sense," Fishlegs cut in. "Especially because of these drawings and schematics. It's incredibly detailed, and honestly, not hard to build. That, and several drawings of the night fury make me think that he'd seen it clearly."

Stoick nodded as he absorbed this information. "It makes sense," he finally said. "But do you think that maybe, you should have ASKED ME?!" He shouted. "These are Hiccup's things! I do not appreciate you snooping through his things!"

"Oh, c'mon," Ruffnut whined. "Do you honestly think you would have let us in if we asked?" Stoick had no answer for that. "Now could you please get me out of here?" She asked. Stoick easily lifted her off the floor and untied the bola, letting her stumble to her feet as she rubbed at her legs. "Ah, pins and needles," she whined.

"You can ask Gobber to help you," Stoick said. "But you'll all need to help him."

"Aye aye Chief," Tuffnut said with a salute. "We'll do fine work," he said with a smile as he leaned to steady himself on a barrel. "Owch!" He had planted his hand in the nails again.

- _-End Flashback-_

"Gustav!" Tuffnut shouted. "Make sure the others have enough bolas."

"Aye aye, Captain," Gustav shouted before running towards Ruffnut, bola's in hand. Each of the twins had one, and the other two they had been able to make were managed by Fishlegs and Snotlout. Erik was waiting, Muzzles in one hand, his sword in the other. They would catch a dragon tonight.

* * *

"Hiccup," Eira asked. "Are we getting close?"

"I don't know," Hiccup replied. "But it seems we're going into that cloud bank." He pointed out in the distance where deep grey clouds seemed to swirl.

"We have to go into that?" Astrid asked.

"According to this we do," Hiccup said. "So keep close, not too close mind you, but keep close enough to see us and follow carefully."

"And if we get blown away?" Astrid snarked.

"Then you keep flying, and if all else fails, try to go up," Nyte answered.

" _I hope you know what you're doing,"_ Ravyn said to Hiccup.

"You and me both," he replied. The dragons flew closer and closer, and Ravyn entered the bank of clouds first. The others soon followed, and were greeted by heavy cloud cover that blocked most of their view. Hiccup watched the sunstone, noting it was still pointing directly in front of him. Something came into view and disappeared quickly as it passed them. "The hell..?" he wondered. He kept his eyes open and was rewarded by seeing a rock in front of them. Ravyn pulled right and Hiccup adjusted with a shout of surprise, letting them turn and get around it. "Careful!" He called. "There are rocks up here somehow!"

Paying careful attention, he carefully helped Ravyn steer around the rocks as they popped up, the only problem being that they were only able to see them as they came up really close. "Hiccup!" He heard Nyte call. "We need to get out of this cloud bank!"

"I hear you!" He called back. "But if there's anything above us, we'll hit it anyway!" He steered around another rock and suddenly was in the clear. "Woah," he said in awe. Above and below them were flat planes of deep grey mottled clouds. The others soon followed and they stared with wide eyes.

"Where are we?" Eira asked. As they all looked around, they could see the wall of clouds behind them, and several large stones floated in the air. Small islands of stone floated as well, slightly spinning from an unseen wind.

"Hiccup?" Astrid called. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"No," he replied before looking at the sunstone. It still pointed directly in front of them. "We still need to go that way."

"Well, at least we're out of the rocks," Eira said. "That's good, right?" A bright beam, and a clap of thunder, and a island of rock was pulverised, bits of rock flying out and away. Several pieces flew towards them and began to hit them, sticking to anything metal.

"Go! Go! Go!" Hiccup shouted. The others didn't need telling twice, all of them flying after Hiccup as fast as they could as they heard a strange sound, like a dull humming. Another blast of lightning smashed into another floating piece of stone, shattering it. Another few pieces began to stick to the riders.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted. "What's happening?!"

"We must be directly inside a storm cloud somehow!" Hiccup shouted. He saw another stone shattered, but with it, he saw a flash of blue light. He shook his head. Time to think about it later, they needed to get out of there!

Nyte and Little Chief shot forward, dodging between rocks, staying clear of the telltale hum and glow of lightning preparing to strike. They quickly were catching up to Hiccup, thought that might be because Ravyn wasn't going full speed.

Astrid and stormfly weren't so lucky. The two were inexperienced, but also not as trusting in one another. Stormfly would fly in one direction and Astrid would try to over correct her. They were getting away from the rocks and lightning, but not fast enough.

"Hiccup!" Eira called. "Astrid and Stormfly need help!"

"Shit!" Hiccup cursed. He and Ravyn turned around and saw Astrid moving too slowly through a group of three. "Ravyn, can you shoot those stones?" He asked.

" _Of course I can,"_ She snarked, though she was nervous too. Quickly she fired three times in as fast as she could, each one slamming into the rocks and blasting them apart and Hiccup saw the blue flash again. But then something strange happened. The shards immediately began to clump and pulled at each other so that it was one big island.

"What the hell?" Hiccup wondered. A lightning strike shattered the new island, but this time the pieces were sent much farther away. Astrid caught up. "Astrid, she knows how to fly." Hiccup said, looking for the lightning still. "Just watch her blind spot." Astrid took a deep breath and nodded. The group resumed flying, each staying clear of the islands that floated among the clouds, dodging lightning strikes. Each with determination flew towards the direction that Hiccup pointed.

* * *

"That's three!" Tuffnut called.

"Ha! I've got four!" Ruffnut countered.

"Those two don't count!" Tuff argued. "You double wrapped them with Fishlegs and he shot first!"

"It counts!" Ruff countered. "Besides, Fishlegs isn't even playing!"

Erik shook his head as he looked at the dragons in front of him. They had a pair of Gronckles, a Nadder, a Zippleback, which Tuffnut was insisting only counted as one to Ruffnut, and four Terrible Terrors. How they had so many was a mystery as they were the hardest to see, let alone hit with a bola.

"Seriously, you count bodies, not heads," Tuffnut argued.

"No, you count heads, that's why the Zippleback is such a prize," Ruffnut argued.

"Enough you two!" Erik shouted. "You both tied! Happy?!"

"No," Tuffnut answered. "Not even remotely."

"But you lost, so a tie is a step up," Ruffnut said with a smile.

"No, I won!" Tuffnut argued.

"Lost!"

"Won!"

"Lost!"

"Shut up!" The group looked at Fishlegs with surprise. "We have work to do! Now stop fighting and let's go!" He grabbed the Nadder and began to drag it to the arena. His size made it hard, but possible, a feat that most would be hard pressed to mimic.

"Did Fishlegs just take charge?" Tuffnut asked.

"Yeah," Ruffnut answered. "It was kinda hot, actually."

"I thought it was just weird," Tuffnut said thoughtfully. "You think fishlegs actually grew a pair?" A shriek as a terror blew a plume of flame from his nose at Fishlegs echoed through the night. "Welp, guess not."

"Just help us drag these guys to the pens," Erik said exasperatedly.

* * *

"There!" Hiccup shouted, they could see the end of the cloud ceiling and also another floating island, though this was much bigger, and had plants visible. Beautiful trees that they had never seen before. Some held beautiful pink blossoms while other trees were incredibly large, with trunks that seemed to twist towards the sky. A river of water cascaded over a waterfall into the clouds below and in the center of the island was a plateau devoid of trees, but covered in grass and with a lake where the river seemed to start.

"I'm as glad to land as you are," Nyte said. "But everything here has tried to kill us so far. It could be a trap."

"A trap?" Astrid asked.

"No, she's right," Hiccup said. "Way down south, there's a place where when you land, people are all nice, and they give you a plant to eat. Once you eat it, you become addicted to it and never leave."

"So you think something could be there to attack us?" Astrid asked.

"It's possible," Hiccup answered. "We'll land, but we need to be careful." The dragons slowly flew down to the island, and as they landed, there was an almost tangible change. It was calming. Peaceful. Almost, intoxicating. "Does anyone else feel that?" He asked.

"Feel what?" Astrid asked.

"Like we're safe? And could stay a while?" Nyte asked as she shifted on her saddle. "A while. Scratch that, how about forever?"

"Alright hold up!" Hiccup shouted. "Nyte!"

Nyte shook herself and refocused her sight on Hiccup. "I dunno what came over me. I just felt like I should… stay."

"This place is messing with our heads," Hiccup said. "Alright, everyone be careful. I dunno why, but this place is drawing us in."

"But it's so nice," Eira said as she slid off of Ravyn. She sat down in the grass and her eyes began to close. "So soft. I'm… so… tired." Hiccup turned to her and saw the grass begin to lengthen and wrap around her ankles slowly.

He quickly picked her up and set her back on Ravyn. "Okay, everyone up in the air, now!" The dragons quickly did so, carrying them up into the air. Eira shook herself and immediately became more alert. "Maybe we should find a better place to land." Hiccup said. "You were right Nyte. This place is dangerous too. Just a different kind."

"Well where does the sunstone say to go?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup looked at it. "It says straight ahead." They began flying forward again, but as they passed a point, the arrow spun around so it was pointing back where they had came. "Hold up," Hiccup said as he looked at the arrow.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"It's back that way," Hiccup said quietly. The group began flying the other way, Hiccup keeping track of the arrow. It then began to spin and Hiccup stopped. It was still spinning in circles.

"What does that mean?" Eira asked. Hiccup shrugged. Eira thought. "What if you turn it sideways?" Hiccup looked at her and did as she suggested. The needle immediately swung so it pointed down.

"What's going on?" Nyte asked.

"Apparently," Hiccup said. "It's right below us."

* * *

The Queen held her maw open as her subjects continued to drop food down her gullet. Fish. Sheep. A few yaks. Several whales were carried in by two dragons each. A few sharks were dragged in, and Terrible Terrors did their best, dragging nets of fish as big as they were. One almost fell in, dragging a beaver by its tail. She had chuckled at that, if he had fallen into her gullet, it was his fault he was eaten, due to his own stupidity and weakness. As the last of the dragons dropped their bounty, she closed her maw. It was never enough, but it would stave off her hunger. " _I notice several of you are missing."_ She said. " _Where are they?"_

" _They were captured,"_ a brave Nightmare said. " _The humans had new contraptions this time. They were much more able to take us down from the sky."_

" _And what of the rider?"_ she asked. " _And don't deny you know who he is. I know he's been helping you with raids."_ The Nightmare didn't answer. None of them did. They all cowered in fear. " _Well?"_ Still nothing. She sent a mental command and one of the poor dragons she had broken flew out and slammed into the Nightmare. Two others followed suit. They grappled with the dragon, claws, teeth, and bursts of flame. They pinned the dragon down and one snapped the Nightmare's wing. The Nightmare gave a roar of pain and the dragon holding his head quickly grasped the dragon's jaws and blew it's flame down its throat, slow roasting it from the inside. It did not stop until it's reserves were completely spent and the dragon's insides were charred. The Nightmare had died by fire, ironic being that they were fireproof. The dragons threw the body over the edge into the waiting maw of the Queen. " _Now, who's going to be next?"_

" _He wasn't there,"_ a voice called. She quickly picked out the dragon who had spoken. A Gronckle who was on her last years of life. She was old, very old. " _The rider did not attack with us. We do not know why, but he was not there."_

" _Interesting,"_ the Queen mused. If the rider wasn't there, then where was he? Could he have been injured, or sick? Did he leave? Is he trying to find a weapon to kill her? She snorted. No mortal could kill her. Not even the gods could kill her. She had grown too powerful now. She could not send a dragon after the Rider and the dragon he rode. They would be unable to find them, and the fact that the last dragon was severed from her connection so abruptly was unsettling. " _Three Terrors are to go back to the village. They will watch and listen, and find out what the stupid, soft skinned humans are doing."_

Three Terrors were quickly pushed to the edge as the others watched and cowered in fear. The three Terrors were all injured already, one was missing an eye, another was missing a leg, and a third had so many scars it was astounding that he was alive. " _W-we w-will do a-as you c-command."_

" _See that you do,"_ the queen said coldly. " _Or you will not like the consequences."_

The three flew as fast as they could out of the nest, each manuevering between the pillars of rock and flying straight towards Berk. " _Why did she eat him?"_ One wondered. " _Usually she breaks them."_

" _Who cares!?"_ Another cried. " _We're next if we don't do this right!"_

" _But he's right,"_ the third said. " _Something is going on there. Why didn't she simply break his mind? She's done it before."_

" _We'll find out later!"_ The second cried. " _Now let's get moving so that we don't end up next on her menu!"_

While the Terrors were flying away, the Fallen was considering her actions. She hadn't broken the dragon's mind because she was saving her power. Once the Rider came back, and she knew he would, she would control the dragon he was riding, that traitorous bitch, the Night Fury, and she would end him once and for all.

* * *

"Did it work?" Stoick asked as Erik and the others walked to the great hall.

"Phenominally," Erik said with a half smile. "We caught enough dragons, and I had the Terrors hidden somewhere else from the larger dragons, so if the Rider comes to free the big ones, he'll end up leaving the Terrors."

"Smart lad," Stoick said with a nod of appreciation. He looked up to see the twins arguing. "What are they fighting about?"

"They somehow turned the capturing of dragons into a game," Erik said with a roll of his eyes. "Tuffnut and Ruffnut have been arguing about who won for a while."

"Well, at least they're in good spirits," Stoick said with a chuckle. "Odin knows we've needed it lately."

"And you missed it," Snotlout said with a smile. "You missed all this raw vikingness." He flexed his biceps. The others looked at him with amazement. Snotlout was getting close to acting like his normal self again, and it was great. "Just watch, we'll get to the nest, and the dragons will fly away in fear."

Stoick laughed. "I'll bet, but you're not going alone. We'll all want a piece of the action."

"Yeah?" Snotlout asked as Spitelout came over and watched as his son who had been barely carrying on through his life was getting back to normal. "Well me and dad will be taking out the most dragons. We'll have enough dragon skin to make rugs."

"You technically only need one dragon skin to make a rug," Fishlegs chipped in.

"Fishlegs, that would be a very thin rug," Tuffnut said as he considered it. "But then again, is thick or thin better?"

"Thick is definitely better," Ruffnut said eyeing Fishlegs.

"Hey, do you think we could wear the dragons as clothes?" Tuffnut asked. "I'd like to make a hat. Something stylish, cool, suave."

"Everything you're not?" Ruffnut asked.

"Yeah," Tuffnut said. "Except for the cool part. I'm pretty cool."

"Mmm, nah," Ruffnut replied. "I'd say you're fun, but not really cool."

"Wanna go Yak tipping?" Tuffnut asked.

"Sure," Ruffnut answered. Without another word, they sped off into the darkness.

"Did anyone follow that?" Stoick asked. Everyone shook their head. Stoick turned to Erik. "You've been successful so far, and we're going to do this. We're going to end this war, and we're going to get to the nest. You've been leading this so far, I want you to lead with me on this attack."

"Sir," Erik said with a smile. "I won't let you down."

"Good," Stoick said with a nod and a smile. He turned to the others in the great hall. "Everyone get some sleep! Tomorrow, we ready the ships!" Scattered cheering broke out. "Tomorrow, we start with the attack that will end this war once and for all!" More people cheered. "Tomorrow, we will avenge our fallen breathren, and we will destroy the monsters that took them from us!" Everyone cheered at this time, all of them whipped up into a frenzy. This would be the last attack, one way, or another.

* * *

Tuffnut had gone to bed that night tired, and with several bruises from angry yaks. His sister was the same, bruised and tired. As sleep took them, they opened their eyes to darkness. Tuffnut looked over and saw his sister. "Ruff? What are you doing in my dream?"

"Your dream?" She scoffed. "This is my dream, what are you doing here?"

"It's both of your dreams," a voice stated. They turned to see a growing light which began to create a world around them. A simple field with machine that looked like a catapult, but it held a sheep. The catapult fired, and the sheep bleated as it flew through the air.

"Woah!" the twins exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"I thought you might like that," the voice said. A golden light flashed and they saw a person that they would recognise anywhere. After all, they had worshiped him their entire life.

"Loki!" They shouted before bowing. "We are your humble trouble makers. We have worked to create havoc in your name!"

"Well, as much fun as that is," Loki said. "You guys seriously messed up."

"What'd we do?" Tuffnut asked.

"You captured the dragons," Loki answered.

"Should we have killed them?" Ruffnut asked.

"No!" Loki answered. He sighed. "You two just really moved up the timetable. I don't have time to explain this all right now, so I need you two to just listen to me and do as I ask."

"Sure thing," Ruffnut answered.

"When you wake up," Loki said. "I need you to get dressed, grab anything you need, not too much though, and go to the cove."

"The cove we saw the Rider in?" Tuffnut asked.

"Yes, that one," Loki said. "I only have so much influence in the mortal plane when not directly invited, but you guys leave me no choice. You two need to get to that cove, and I'll meet you there."

"Okay," Tuffnut said. "Do we leave a note for our parents? I mean, we're supposed to move out in a few days, but they'll probably be worried."

"No note," Loki said. "They can't find out what you're doing."

"Well," Ruffnut said. "When we get back, they're gonna tan our hides."

"Eh, fuck it," Tuffnut replied. "We're serving Loki, I'll bet they'll understand."

"You understand what you'll be doing?" Loki asked.

"Yep," they chorused. "We got it."

"Good," Loki said.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Tuffnut shouted. "Could we see the sheep catapult again? Please?"

Loki laughed and smiled. "Sure thing." He waved his hand and the catapult was reloaded, and much bigger. Now it held ten sheep, all piled in the basket. Loki guestured to a lever on the ground they hadn't seen. "If you will do the honors?" He asked.

"Yes!" the twins shouted with glee. They raced to the lever and together pulled it. The catapult launched, and they saw sheep bleating as they flew through the air. They laughed and as the last sheep landed, Loki snapped his fingers.

Tuffnut lurched out of bed. "Oh man that was a weird dream."

"Same," Ruffnut said as she peeked out from the top bunk.

"Wait, did you get the dream about flying sheep?" He asked.

"Shot from a catapult?" She countered.

"And Loki was talking to us?" He continued

"Yeah," she replied. "Was it actually a dream?"

"Better safe than sorry," Tuffnut said as he stepped out of bed. "Wait, did I seriously just say that?"

"You totally did," Ruffnut replied. "But hey, we might as well go look." The two of them quickly got dressed, not even paying attention to each other. Even though they were brother and sister, they had always been together and were completely comfortable with each other, especially cause they knew that the other wouldn't be looking.

"I swear, if this isn't real," Ruffnut said as they stepped out of the house. "We'll be getting in trouble for nothing."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Tuffnut countered.

"Fair point," Ruffnut agreed. The two of them quickly ran to the forest, and to the cove, each stumbling every now and then due to their tiredness. Finally they came down into the cove and sat down on a rock.

"Finally," the voice said. They turned to see Loki standing at a large rock. "I thought you'd never get here."

"We're here," Tuffnut said. "So what do we need to do?"

"I need you to warn Hiccup," Loki said. "And no, he's not dead. Unfortunately, he's outside my sphere of influence right now, so I can't contact him unless he tries to contact me directly."

"So how do we do that?" Ruffnut asked.

"You go through the door," Loki said, pointing to the rock. "I'm going to open it, and you need to get through quickly. I can't hold it forever."

"Alright, got it," Tuffnut said. He then ran full speed at the rock, and slammed into it. He fell back and held his head. "That hurt."

"You didn't wait to let me open it," Loki said with a shake of his head. He placed his hand on the stone and it began to shimmer, and became see through. Ruffnut grabbed her brother and pulled him with her through the rock. Loki stepped through and let the rock close.

"Where are we?" Ruffnut asked. Loki didn't answer. Instead, he let out a piercing whistle. A howl went up and soon a pack of wolves surrounded them. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

"Darkfur, you there?" Loki said. A wolf stepped forward, and stood up, transforming into a young girl with dark black hair. Her brown eyes watched them carefully. "These two have information for Hiccup when he gets back."

"Loki, right?" Darkfur asked. He nodded. "Why do you have to be so much trouble?" She asked.

"Kinda in the job description," he said with a shrug. "Anyway, can you take care of these two until Hiccup comes back, I'm reaching my limit on time I can spend here."

"Sure," she sighed. She looked at Tuffnut. "What's with him?"

"Bashed his head on the rock before I opened it," Loki said.

"Nice," she muttered. "C'mon you two," she said as she stepped forward and helped Tuffnut up. Loki nodded to her in appreciation before disapearing in a flash of gold. "So what're your names?" She asked.

"Ruffnut and Tuffnut," Ruffnut answered.

"Which one's for who?" Darkfur asked.

"I'm Ruffnut," she replied.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Darkfur," the girl said. "Now let's get you two situated and you can tell me what's going on."

 **A.N. Well. That took forever. Again, I'm so sorry that it took so long to write this. And to cut off some questions about the twins, yes they share a room. They do everything together, and I really liked the idea of them having bunk beds. They're simply siblings who don't really care for social boundaries and are a bit crazy. Simple as that. And no, I'm not planning of Ruff joining Hiccup's harem. Anyway, please review, and have a good day.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N. Okay. I was honestly expecting a little more… well, something, with how I left that last chapter. I mean, no comments? Questions? Concerns? Well, okay then. On with the story. I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to post. School is murder on my psyche. Test, essay, test, homework, it never ends. So sorry that it took so long. Please read and review.**

Hiccup watched the sunstone, his mind working to figure out a way for them to check the island without being ensnared by it. It still would point directly towards the ground below them, but besides that, it couldn't help them. It was below them. They knew that. The question was how to get down there. "What are we gonna do, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"I dunno yet," Hiccup admitted. "We're gonna need to get down there, but I don't know how yet."

"Do you think the dragon's really down there?" Nyte asked.

"Well, that the only explanation I can think of," Hiccup replied. "But we won't know until we get down there."

A rustling below them drew their attention. "What was that?" Eira asked. A jet of bright white flame burst through the trees towards them.

"Scatter!" Hiccup called. The dragons all flew out of the way as a dragon unlike anything they had seen shot through the canopy towards them before charging Hiccup and Ravyn. Ravyn dove with Hiccup bent low over her back, diving towards the trees before pulling up, just skimming the top. Eria held on tightly, Mistwing tucked under her arm. The dragon gave chase and Hiccup looked back to get a good look at it.

The dragon was a mix of whites, greys and some blues. Two pairs of wings stretched from it's back. One pair was large and providing power while the other was much smaller, seemingly guiding it's flight. A sharp talon sat at the joints of the wings and were likely razor sharp. The dragon had four muscular legs that were tucked as most dragons usually would when flying, but Hiccup had no doubts that they had sharp claws. The neck was long and the head was stout. It's eyes were small, but a bright blue that he could see already. Large teeth protruded from the top and bottom of the jaw, keeping the dragon from fully closing its mouth. Two sets of tusks protruded from the outside of the dragon's jaw as well. One long and with a gentle curve while the other was much more curved. The top of the dragon's head was covered with a smooth plate of bone that stretched back into a single point. The spine was covered by similar plates all the way down to the end of the long tail. The dragon was easily twice the size of Ravyn, and it was obviously trying to kill them.

"What the hell is that?!" Nyte shrieked. "Hiccup! You better have a plan!"

"Working on it!" Hiccup yelled back. Hiccup and Ravyn veered to the side as another blast of bright white flame shot by. Eira shrieked as the fire shot by, and Mistwing gave a sharp squeak. They began to climb into the sky and the dragon followed them. "Nyte!" Hiccup shouted. "You better get ready to catch!"

"What are you doing?" Eira asked.

"Do you trust me?" Hiccup asked.

Eira swallowed. "I do, Hiccup."

"Then jump," Hiccup said as they climbed. He turned to look at her and she nodded. She let go of him and pushed away, releasing Mistwing to fly on her own. "Nyte!" Hiccup shouted. Eira's fall was suddenly stopped and she looked up to see Nyte holding her tightly, Little Chief growling with annoyance at the sudden addition of weight.

Hiccup sighed with relief as he saw Nyte catch Eira safely. The strange dragon was still following them and Hiccup groaned. "Ravyn," he called. "Got any ideas?"

" _Not so far,"_ she answered. " _Should we try to lose him in the trees?"_

"As much as I'd rather leave the trees alone, that might be our best shot," Hiccup said. They dove as the dragon sent another blast of fire towards them. "Aim for where he burned away the trees."

" _Where?"_ Ravyn asked. " _There's no burns or even smoke."_ Hiccup looked around and couldn't find any either. That was strange. The dragon had clearly blasted flames into the trees. Lost in thought, they barely got out of the way of another blast of flame. It was so close that it should have burned him. Hell, there should have been… heat. Lots of it. Where was the heat?

"Ravyn," Hiccup said. "Blast the dragon."

" _Gladly,"_ Ravyn answered. The two flipped over and Ravyn launched a plasma blast into the dragon. Or well, it should have. The dragon fire just, dissipated. " _What the hell!?"_ Ravyn cursed.

"Is it intangible?" Hiccup wondered. He pulled a rune stone from his belt and activated it, summoning a bow from the armory with the required summoning rune. It was one of his best works, with the iron bow being forged himself, and slight detailing with silver. The bow was enchanted to summon one of a specific set of arrows that Hiccup had forged as well. They would always return when summoned, even when embedded in an enemy. Hiccup pulled back on the bow, and faced the dragon. An arrow with a head of half silver and half iron appeared on the string. Hiccup waited patiently for the shot, and released. The arrow soared towards the dragon, but instead of piercing it's armor, or even bouncing off it, it went through. No hole was left, not even a scratch.

"It's an illusion!" Hiccup called to the others. There was no dragon! Ravyn turned and the duo flew up to the others. "It wasn't real."

"But what caused the illusion?" Nyte asked.

"Not a clue," Hiccup answered. He glanced at the sunstone to see the arrow moving around to point away from them. "But it's probably what we're searching for."

* * *

Three Terrible Terrors flew low to the water as they neared Berk. " _We all understand our jobs?"_ The first asked.

" _Yes,"_ the other two chorused. They all flew to the killing ring and stopped right outside. Humans were outside and on the top, but they weren't going to notice them. They skittered across the floor to the inside of the arena and moved to the doors. The doors were strong, and most of them would hold out unless during an all out assault. However, each one besides the Terrible Terror cage had a single weakness. The doors were too high. No dragon would be able to worm their way underneath, except for a Terrible Terror.

Each quickly wormed their way into the first pen before finding the dragon inside, which was in this case, a gronkle. " _We're gonna get you out,"_ the first said. " _But we need to know what's going on."_

" _The humans are planning an attack again,"_ the gronckle muttered around the muzzle.

" _Again?"_ the second asked. " _They never attack this late."_

" _They are this time,"_ the Gronckle continued.

" _Let's get everyone out. Then we'll figure out what to do,"_ The third said. He placed his mouth at the locking mechanism and blew fire directly into the lock. The rider had shown most of the dragons that trick and it was paying off right now. The heat caused the lock to twist and weaken, and with a little pressure, the lock snapped off, freeing the gronkle.

" _Stay here, we're going to release the others from their chains and then let you all out,"_ the first said before they squeezed back under the door and to the next pen.

* * *

Erik lay in bed contemplating life. Sure, that would usually be reserved for an existential crisis, but for some reason, he couldn't focus on anything but his life, or more accurately, his choices. This next attack against the nest would be the final push. He knew that, the Chief new that, and everyone else with a brain knew that. Tension was practically able to be tasted on the air and Erik couldn't help but worry that something was going to happen.

He rolled over and stared out the window. Something was going to happen. He could feel it. Until it happened, he wouldn't be able to sleep. With a sigh, he stood up and pulled on his boots. He was in a simple tunic and trousers that he used to sleep in, but he wasn't going to get dressed for nothing. Finally strapping his sword on he snuck down the stairs and out of the house. Once outside he began to wander, simply walking through the village without a certain goal in mind.

* * *

Hiccup and Ravyn flew down through the treeline, the others following behind as close as they could, but eventually were left behind as Ravyn pushed her speed. Hiccup and Ravyn felt the now familiar feeling that would always settle over them when they flew with complete focus. They twisted and turned between trees with perfection, and Hiccup watched for whatever they were searching for. He saw it. A glimpse of something pale was running through the trees. He checked the sunstone and saw it pointing unwavering towards the pale thing. Ravyn and Hiccup turned slightly to avoid a tree and as Hiccup checked again, the sunstone still pointed directly towards the pale thing. "That's definitely what we're searching for."

" _Got it,"_ Ravyn said. " _Let's catch up."_

Hiccup ducked his head and began preparing. He had designed this spell only recently and was hoping it would work, as the latin based was much more complex to use correctly. He began to mutter in verse, a different style a spellcasting. "Winds at our back, of a stormy sky, give us greater speed to fly." A slight glow began to stream behind Ravyn as they began to move faster, much faster. Easily twice the speed they were flying before. Hiccup could feel his energy pushing the spell through.

They wove through trees and got closer and closer. They were chasing a figure of some kind, seemingly female if the long hair was any indication. It was also quite small, like a child. As they got closer, they saw the figure glance at them. " _Now what?"_ Ravyn asked. " _Do we just grab them?"_

"That's probably the best shot, but I don't know if that's the best idea," Hiccup answered. "We'll have to get closer."

" _Way ahead of you,"_ Ravyn replied. They were getting very close and as Hiccup leaned down and reached with his arm, the figure dove to the side while muttering something that he couldn't hear. The figure spun to the side and Hiccup saw bright blue eyes on a pale face framed by stark white hair. A blast of fire erupted from her outstretched hand and the duo dodged to the side quickly, and Hiccup felt the heat from the blast.

"That was no illusion," Hiccup called. "Just keep close to her. I need to prepare something."

" _Can't you just use magic?"_ Ravyn asked.

"Magic doesn't work that way," Hiccup replied as he pulled a bola from his pack. On each of the stone balls, he began to inscribe runes carefully. He finished the first one and took a glance at the fleeing figure. She kept glancing at them, almost as if just checking if they were following. "Be careful, she seems to be planning something." Ravyn just growled in reply. Hiccup quickly began to work on the second stone and soon finished the inscription before moving to the third.

The figure then turned and skidded to a halt in front of them and charged them. _  
_" _Hiccup!"_ Ravyn called. Hiccup glanced up and saw her charging them, muttering something he couldn't hear and slight sparks of something arcing behind her. Hurriedly he finished the inscription, though it was a bit sloppy now. As the figure leaped at them, with lightning trailing behind her, Hiccup threw the bola at her. It spun and wrapped around her, entangling her and stopping the lightning immediately. Hiccup grabbed her out of the air as they passed and helped Ravyn fly up out of the forest.

"Release me you jerks!" the figure called in a high pitched voice that was such as that of a child. "You don't know what you're dealing with! With WHO you're dealing with!"

"Hey, you attacked us first," Nyte said as she flew closer. "So don't even start."

"Hiccup, I thought we were looking for the Stardust Dragon," Eira questioned.

"I think we saw it already," Hiccup replied. "It was an illusion. And this here, is the one that caused it." The figure, most definitely a little girl glared at him with loathing. "So let's get some answers.

* * *

Erik found himself at the bridge to the arena for some reason. It was strange. He had no reason to be there and yet, he needed to be there. "Well, thought you'd never come." He whirled around to see a man in deep red armor. It probably was golden at some point, but it looked to be permanently dyed red with blood. "I've been waiting for you for a while."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Erik asked.

"Oh, sorry," the armored man said. "I forgot to introduce myself, though I don't think you'd recognise my name."

"Try me," Erik said.

"Fine," the man said. "The name's Ares."

"Ares?" Erik asked. "Never heard of you."

"Yeah, thought so," Ares said. "I don't usually come up this far north." He stretched and removed his plumed helmet revealing a head completely shaved of all hair, with scars across his head. His eyes were pits of molten steel surrounded by blood. The glow of his iris surrounded by the blood colored sclera was concerning, but Erik managed to keep from stepping back. The man radiated strength and power, but not like a ruler. More like a monster, or warrior that had lost his grip with reality. Like a berserker lost in his rage.

"Who are you?" Erik asked.

"Ares, the Greek god of War," Ares answered. "And you, soldier boy, have caught my attention. You need to be able to fight? To destroy your enemies? To make them pay?"

"Perhaps," Erik answered slowly. "Why?"

"Y'see," Ares said. "I'm a god, but I'm rather out of my area of influence. That means I have limited power here. However, I can nominate you as a benefactor of my power. For a price."

"And just what is this price?" Erik asked suspiciously.

"Just a certain individual I want you to kill. Someone who I bet you'd be all too happy to kill. The same person who took your sister." Ares smiled cruelly. "You don't have to answer now. But to show you the power I wield, and how I am real, know this. There is a jailbreak of dragons that is being attempted. Kill every one of them that tries to escape, and I will give you the power to destroy the Dragon Master." Erik froze and thought about it. "Tick tock little soldier boy. You better go stop those dragons."

Erik looked towards the arena and began to run towards it, unsheathing his sword. A loud clang echoed from it and a cacophony of roaring began. He ran inside to see dragons stepping out of their cages, the guards charging in and trying to kill the dragons, but only barely staying alive as they were forced to dodge the fire and claws. " _I will give you a little of my power. Use it to kill the dragons. You shall see my power,"_ the voice of Ares spoke in his mind.

Immediately, Erik felt a burning inside him, almost like he was being burned, but it didn't come with the intense pain of burning. Instead, the heat inside him made him move faster. He charged into the arena and leaped at the first dragon, a Gronckle. He swung his sword with a roar and did not notice as it glowed a dull red as it cleaved through the dragon's head with ease. Without a thought, he ran to the Zippleback with speed unmatched by anyone. His sword flicked a deadly dance as he jumped between the two necks and as he landed on it's pack, the two necks were sliced into small sections, allowing the heads to fall to the ground as the body slumped. The remaining two dragons took notice and attacked, turning their attention from the other guards. They blasted fire directly at him and without thinking, Erik brought his left arm up in front of him. No heat touched him however as he looked to see he was completely protected by a red gold circular shield that split the fire around him. As the fire subsided, he stood and swung his sword which lengthened in the handle to form a long spear. He flipped the spear up so that it pointed towards the dragons and was over his head. He stepped forward and threw the spear, sending it directly through the eye of the Gronckle and into its brain. The Nadder let loose a torrent of flame at him again and again the shield when brought to his defence, split the fire around him, the heat not touching him in the slightest. He stepped forward against the flames. Once. Twice. Three times. He stepped forward, getting closer to the dragon. Finally, he shoved the shield into the Nadder's open mouth. He then leaped up, and grabbed one of the spikes from the dragon's crown. He pulled hard and with a crack, the spike dislodged from the top. The Nadder roars of pain were unheeded as Erik plunged the spike in through the dragon's head and into its brain.

Erik stood and breathed out as the shield dissipated and the spear shrank back into his sword. Erik stepped down to see the guards holding three terrible terrors. Each was scarred and injured, and each was held tightly and had muzzles on. " _Kill those three, and I shall take it as an acceptance of our deal,"_ the voice of Ares spoke in his mind. " _You shall be gifted power to kill the one you seek vengeance on."_

Erik grabbed the first terror's head and pulled him from the guard's grasp. His one hand wrapped around the terror's head and he began to squeeze. The Terror began to whine and it's little claws scrabbled at his arm, but he felt no pain. He continued to squeeze, increasing the pressure as the whines increased in volume. Finally, he felt the dragon's head give as the skull shattered inside of it's head. The head crumpled and the dragon fell limp. He dropped the carcass to the ground and with each hand, grabbed the other two dragons around the necks as they tried futilely to escape. He then smashed the two together, crashing their skulls together as they caved from the blunt force trauma. He dropped the carcasses to the floor and looked at the guards. They stared at him with awe and slight fear. He simply gave them a nod and walked away.

* * *

The Queen sat in her pool of lava and contemplated the new events. The three she had sent were dead. Each of them killed thought the first one was considerably more painful. The dragons that were in the cages were also killed. They were killed with ease, and with a power that she recognised, but she couldn't tell where she knew it from.

" _A new player?"_ She wondered. " _Possibly a danger to me? No. Impossible. I am the strongest there is. No one could defeat me."_ She settled down in the pool and mentally checked where the dragon young were. They were still under guard, as they should be. She would defeat any and all opposition. And if she waited a few more decades, she'd be able to kill that troublesome bewilderbeast and take his nest for herself as well. She chuckled darkly. Time was forever on her side. All she had to do was wait.

* * *

Hiccup led the others to the ground and lifted the figure up gently before setting her down on the ground, still tied. "Anyone feel any mental invasions?" Hiccup asked. He watched the grass, but it seemed just as normal as other grass.

"Nothing so far Hiccup," Nyte answered.

"Good," Hiccup said. "Now, have any answers for us?" He asked the figure. She didn't reply. Hiccup pulled out several stones out and began to carve into them. Each held only two symbols and within a few minutes, each had the symbols carved into them. "Astrid," Hiccup called her over. "Place each of these four at each of the cardinal directions five paces from our… captive, for lack of better term." Astrid nodded and took the four stones. "Nyte, do the same with these four at ten paces." He handed Nyte another four. He then took the remaining four and did the same at fifteen paces away. This made four lines outstretching from where the figure was bound in each of the cardinal directions.

"What are these for?" Astrid asked.

"These are ward stones," Hiccup explained. "Imagine a circle connects each set of stones."

"So there are three circles?" Eira asked. "Each inside of the others?"

"Exactly," Hiccup said. "The center circle keeps her bound, but she's still able to access her magic, which is how she's connected to the island."

"Connected?" Astrid asked.

"Notice how the grass hasn't acted up and how we aren't lured in anymore?" Hiccup asked. "I think she was controlling it. I don't know exactly how, but I think that was what she was doing."

"So she's part of the island?" Nyte asked.

"Not quite," Hiccup answered. "I think she used the island as her medium. It follows her direction. Anyway, the second circle cuts off all magic. You need to be inside that one. It'll protect you completely as long as you are inside it. The third circle provides some protection, but is where I have to stay to keep the wards powered."

"Wards?" Astrid asked.

"Any kind of barrier in magic is technically a ward," Hiccup explained. "However, some don't actively act or defend. It depends on the magic."

"So now what?" Astrid asked.

"We wait," Hiccup said. "She's gonna have to talk eventually, but right now, she's not going to."

" _Why not just make her?"_ Ravyn asked.

"Can't," Hiccup said. "I haven't trained at all in mind magics such as telepathy or mind reading and I will not resort to torture."

"How nice to know my captors have some standards," the figure spoke out in a voice that could only be described as that of a child.

"We need answers," Hiccup said. "And while we would have rathered not resort to this, you attacked first."

" _I don't mind the capturing part,"_ Ravyn muttered. " _She tried to kill us."_

"I didn't try to kill you," the girl said. "I wanted to scare you off. Besides, I couldn't kill you. We're connected."

" _You understand me?"_ Ravyn asked as the others froze in surprise.

"Of course," the girl said. "I'm part of you. Well, we're part of the same being."

"Wait, wait, wait," Hiccup said. "What?"

"Shut up mage," the girl said. "I'm not explaining anything to you."

"If we let you go, will you explain?" Hiccup asked.

"Nope," the girl said. "I'm not going to let you have access to any more power."

"What?" Hiccup asked. "What power? I have all the power I could care to have right now. I don't want to become a god or anything. If anything, power's bothersome. It always attracts the wrong kind of attention."

"Hiccup," Astrid said. "We kinda have to get things going remember? Ending several hundred year war? Ringing any bells?"

" _Why do you listen to the human mage?"_ the girl said in a dragon's growl. " _Has he bound you to himself with that crude fin?"_

" _What the hell are you talking about?"_ Ravyn asked. " _Hiccup saved my life. He's helped me regain flight."_

" _How'd you lose it?"_ the girl asked.

" _Well… he took it… but he didn't mean to!"_ Ravyn said hurriedly.

" _He still has you under his control,"_ the girl said.

"You know we can understand you right?" Hiccup asked.

"Why'd you tell her that?" Astrid asked.

"What?" Hiccup said. "Seemed like a private conversation."

"And you didn't think we could get answers from that 'private conversation?'" Astrid drawled.

Hiccup stopped for a second. "Good point."

"Why do you understand dragons?" The girl snarled as she strained against the ropes slightly. She managed to get her feet underneath her and stood up, though her arms were still bound.

"Well I wanted to know what she was saying," Hiccup said. "It made it rather hard to build her prosthetic for her being that I couldn't understand her."

"A prosthetic?" the girl asked incredulously. "You couldn't find a way to permanently fix her tail, mage? Or didn't want to?"

"Being that I could barely inscribe runes at that time, yeah," Hiccup replied. "I built her one made of clockwork for her to fly by herself, but…"

" _I broke it,"_ Ravyn answered. " _It wasn't close to the same, or even close to as good."_

"Use your magic," the girl said.

"How?" Hiccup asked. "I only know a limited amount. I've learned some healing, but not to the extent that would fix her tail."

" _And I don't need it,"_ Ravyn said. " _When we fly together, it's instant. We fly together, and it's almost like we're the same."_

The girl stopped for a moment and looked thoughtful. "I wish to talk to her alone," she said, gesturing to Ravyn.

"Are you going to come back if I remove the wards? And not attack us?" Hiccup asked.

"I swear an oath not to attempt to harm you or your companions until our return," the girl said. A flash of light emanated from both Hiccup's and the girl's arm, leaving a band of symbols around them.

"How'd you do that?" Hiccup asked.

"It's an oath," the girl said. "All beings that practice magic can use them. They are unable to be broken."

"I know that," Hiccup said. "But your magic was bound."

"Nope," the girl said with a smile. "Once I touched the ground, I could use magic." She then breathed in and blew at her bindings. Fire streamed out, burning the the ropes and leaving the stones on the ground. She then walked towards the forest. Ravyn hesitated, but followed.

* * *

The girl walked into the forest and sat down on a rock next to a stream. "Whatever you do, don't touch the water." Ravyn jerked her head away from the water, having just went to take a sip. "It's from the fountain of youth."

" _The what?"_ Ravyn asked.

"The fountain of youth," the girl said. "It'll heal any injury, and stop death. However, no one knows how it will give immortality. The first vampire drank from the spring and became immortal, but needed to sustain himself on blood as consequence. An old man was given immortality, but he soon after got his head cut off. His head lives, but his body is dead. It's quite random in how it works."

" _How would it affect me?"_ Ravyn asked.

"I don't know," the girl said. "By the way, call me Sage."

" _What did you want to talk about?"_ Ravyn asked.

Sage sighed. "I know how to help you. I am you, just as you are the Queen. Do you know the tale of the Dragoness?"

" _Yes! We just heard it!"_ Ravyn replied.

"I am her wisdom," Sage said.

" _But you're a child,"_ Ravyn countered. " _How?"_

"Children are straightforward. They seek answers, hold creativity, and are the driving force behind innovation. They are the beginning point of aging which is how you gain wisdom," Sage said. "There's a reason why those that learn magic begin at young ages. It's the age that holds all possibilities. They don't hold anything as impossible."

" _But if you're her wisdom, then what does that have to do with me?"_ Ravyn asked.

"What were the three parts of the Dragoness?" Sage asked.

" _Her Wisdom, her Strength, and her Ability?"_ Ravyn answered unsurely.

"Exactly," Sage replied. "And the three are held in a stalemate. Each will always lose to one, but would defeat the other. I am her Wisdom, the Queen is her Strength, and you are her Ability."

" _Impossible,"_ Ravyn argued. " _If I was the Dragoness, why don't I remember any of that?"_

"You are her ability, skill and personality, not her memories. That went to me," Sage said. "Her power and strength went to the Queen. I will always be able to defeat the Queen while you will not. However, if we were to fight, you would win."

" _Why are you telling me this?"_ Ravyn asked.

"Because I've been around for a long time," Sage answered. "I understand when one's time is finished."

" _You sound like you're going to die,"_ Ravyn said.

"In a sense, I am," Sage replied. "I'm going to recombine with you. I will cease to exist. It's the only way that things will change. Otherwise, this stalemate will continue for eternity. The Queen will not give in to me, and you will not give in to her. By my allowing myself to merge with you, you will hold the largest part of the Dragoness." She stood up. "Let's return. I have a few more things to do before this, but they won't take long." She began to walk back towards the group and Ravyn walked beside her.

 **A.N. Wow! Okay, that took forever. I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to write. I finally finished it, and I'm really trying to get back into this quickly. Anyway, please send me any questions, comments, or concerns as reviews as others may have the same queries. Anyway, have a good day, and please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N. Hello all you wonderful readers! I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to write, but if you read my other stories, you'll know that I have updated those as well a while ago, and I've been having to deal with school and my job, which is why this chapter is just being put up now. Anyway, sorry for it taking so long, and thank you for being so patient. So please read and review.**

Hiccup watched as Ravyn and the girl walked back. He had stowed the ward stones, they'd probably be useful later, but he still had some questions. "Mage," the girl said simply. "Before we begin, there are some things that must be explained."

"Such as?" Hiccup asked.

"This island holds the fountain of youth, fount of immortality, well of everlasting life, or whatever you want to call it," she explained. "I am currently it's guardian." Hiccup raised an eyebrow in query. "And after all this, Ravyn will be the next guardian."

"How so?" Hiccup asked.

"As you have probably already figured out, I am part of the Dragoness, just as much as Ravyn and the Queen are," she explained.

Hiccup froze before looking off into the distance, thinking to himself. If the three were connected, then how was it that the Stardust Dragon was here while Ravyn and the Queen had been at the nest? He voiced the question and was met with a shrug. "I do not know," she said. "I do know however, that the Queen is getting stronger. I am going to recombine with Ravyn, allowing her to become two thirds of the Dragoness. However, she will likely only have equal power to the Queen."

"We need to stop her," Hiccup said.

"In that case, you have two options," the girl said. "You can kill her, will may kill Ravyn with the backlash along their connection, or Ravyn can forcibly absorb her, but that leaves an opening for her to take control."

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked

"Ravyn will understand after I am gone," the girl said. This however diverts us from the guardianship. She will be guardian of this island and the fountain. This means she cannot leave unless another guardian is selected." She took a breath. "You need to swear to me not to abuse the power."

"I don't want immortality," Hiccup said.

"I don't doubt that," the girl said. "However, you may change your mind."

"Fair enough," Hiccup said. "I give my oath upon my magic and life not to abuse the power of the fountain of youth." A glow emanated around his forearm and another golden band of symbols formed. The girl stepped back into the area where they originally held her captive, and one of the bands on his arm disappeared. "Thanks for that," Hiccup said. "I'm going to lose all sight of my arm if I don't keep from too many contracts at once." He then turned back to her. "Who could we ask about becoming a guardian?" He asked.

"Do you have the capability to create golems?" She asked.

" _Do automations count?"_ Ravyn asked.

"They are a form of golem," the girl answered. "However, if you choose to use a golem, you have to make it able to think for itself and hold free will. This means it has to hold a significant amount of power, even equivalent to a soul."

"A soul?" Astrid asked.

"A soul is the animating spark that gives life," Hiccup replied. "The spirit is the culmination of your actions, personality, et cetera. They aren't one thing, but held together. Your name, or more accurately, your true name, is you in completeness. Everyone has one, and to know someone elses means you have a great deal of power over them. When you die, your spirit is judged while your soul is collected. Often, souls can be sent to protect others, such as their children or other loved ones."

"So you need to actually create life?" Astrid asked.

"No one really knows what creates a soul," the girl said. "Though demons are probably the closest."

"Demons?" Astrid asked with slight fear.

"They live in a different plane of existence," Hiccup answered. "Don't worry about them right now." He turned back to the girl. "So if I create a golem or automation with sentience and a soul, then it can become the guardian, if it accepts?"

"Yes," the girl said. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I would suggest you back away a bit." She sat down on the grass and gestured to Ravyn to mirror her. Ravyn sat on her haunches and the pair closed their eyes.

* * *

Erik lay in his bed, blood rushing through him with adrenaline. It was because of this he couldn't sleep. Over and over, his actions ran through his mind. The chief and the others hadn't been too happy that he had killed the dragons, but he had then reminded them that they still had the terrible terrors. That had set them at ease again, but he had noticed that the twins were missing. Usually that meant they were preparing for a prank, but come to think about it, they went yak tipping. Could they have done something stupid like get trampled by yaks? Nah, they were fine. He rolled over, but the twins missing still bothered him. He couldn't get it out of his mind.

"Thor damn you two," he muttered. "I swear, if you guys are missing, I'm gonna skin you alive once I find you." For the second time that night, he stood from his bed and got dressed. He left his home again and walked to the Thornston home. A knock on the door brought their mother down and to the door.

"What did the twins do now?" She asked tiredly.

"So far nothing," Erik answered. "Which is suspicious in of itself."

She groaned. "And this couldn't wait until morning?" She asked with annoyance. "Some people were still trying to sleep."

"It's almost morning anyway," Erik said as the first light of dawn began to show.

"Fine," she admitted, opening the door. "They came in late last night, shouting about Yaks. They should still be in bed. Much like I should be." She muttered.

Erik pretended not to hear her and quickly found their room. The door was ajar and the room looked like a dragon had gone through it. Clothes strewn around the room, beds a mess, and several strange marks in the wood. Definitely the twins room. They were nowhere to be found though. "Where are they?" he wondered aloud.

"They aren't there?" Mrs. Thornston asked with confusion. "Where could they be?"

* * *

"Woo Hoo!" Tuffnut shouted as he skidded down the mountain, a shield underneath his crossed legs. A similar shriek of joy echoed from Ruffnut as they sped down the mountain. It had snowed hard last night wherever they were. The girl, Darkfur had shown them to a room for them to stay in, given them a couple instructions on places they were absolutely not to go and then left. Of course, normally, they would have immediately went to those places, but they didn't quite know where they were yet. They had found some shields in an armory of sorts. They'd done this at Berk a few times, but never on a slope this steep. They sped down the mountain that seemed to be where they had stayed. They aimed the shields down towards a ravine and the two found a tunnel directly in front of them, seemingly ice covered.

"This is great!" Tuffnut shouted as they shot into the tunnel.

* * *

Ravyn found herself in a void of nothing. No darkness, no light. There was absolutely nothing. No color, heat, cold, feeling, or even movement of any kind. But then there was light. It emanated from her and suddenly the void was dark. She was light and the void was dark. She shone brightly, but the darkness was infinite. No matter where she looked, the light did not penetrate the darkness.

A sound then reached her ears. It wasn't like anything she had heard before. It was beautiful yet indescribable. Like a melodious discordance or a chaotic peacefulness. As the sound grew in a crescendo another light began to shine in the darkness. As she looked out towards it, she saw Sage glowing with a light much like hers, but hers was a different shade all together. The light from both of them was impossibly similar yet completely different. As different as night and day, but as identical as twins.

They looked at each other and Ravyn felt something inside her twist. Between the two of them, a string of light manifested itself, the sound becoming louder. " _Now you will learn,"_ she heard in her mind from Sage. The twisting intensified and she felt like she was being squeezed. Crushed to dust. " _Fight it!"_ Sage's voice echoed. " _The Queen will not be_ nearly _as gentle!"_

Ravyn hated it. She felt as if she was being torn apart. " _I don't even know what is happening!"_ She screamed.

" _You are dying,"_ Sage said. " _And unless you fight back, you will cease to exist. You will become part of me instead of me becoming you. You will be leaving them behind. Astrid. Eira. Nyte. All of them will be left behind. Even Hiccup."_

" _No!"_ Ravyn shouted. She would not disappear! She would live! She would not abandon them! She would not abandon Hiccup!

" _You love him don't you?"_ Sage asked, causing Ravyn to falter, causing the twisting to return momentarily. She steeled herself and the sensation subsided. " _Of course you do."_

Ravyn mentally redoubled her efforts.

* * *

The others watched as Ravyn and the girl sat. Hiccup had wondered what would happen and thought he had been prepared for anything. He was not prepared for the strange occurrence that happened. Ravyn began to crack. Her back began to crack as light shone through. It was a soft light, like that of twilight. Little flecks of black began to float off of her back but they stopped moving and held themselves in the air. At the same time, the girl's back began to crack and a brighter light began to shine, much like that of meteor showers. Flecks of white began to float above her, but held themselves in place above her. A strange sound began to flow through the air as they watched.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Nyte asked.

Hiccup didn't answer at first, but after a few seconds he finally spoke. "I really don't know."

* * *

Ravyn stared at Sage as the two held off at a stalemate. " _The Queen will not let you have this as easily as I have."_

" _That was easy?"_ Ravyn asked.

" _It was easier,"_ Sage said.

" _It hurts so much,"_ Ravyn said as she held her ground.

" _The Queen will not let you have control willingly,"_ Sage stated. " _She will do everything in her power to destroy you. If you do not fight her off, you will lose, she will take control, and she will likely destroy everyone you care about before enslaving all of dragonkind."_

" _I won't let that happen,"_ Ravyn argued.

" _I know you won't,"_ Sage said with a dry smile. " _Which is why I'm letting you do this."_ Suddenly all pressure removed itself from Ravyns mind and and every bit of force that Ravyn was exerting flooded forward into Sage. Her light dimmed while Ravyn's grew brighter, flooding the void with light.

* * *

The others watched in amazement as the girl's figure cracked, glowing brighter as the pieces peeled away, floating up into the sky. Ravyn didn't change at all, but she too began to glow. The girl continued to lose more and more of herself and the parts that floated up now soared down and into Ravyn through the broken cracks in her back. As the rest of the girl's figure shattered to pieces, Ravyn seemed to get sleeker, and flecks of white, like stars against the night sky began to form on her scales. The flecks began to glow with a dull shine and a wave of energy erupted out, blasting through the air in a myriad of light and color. The cracks in Ravyn's back sealed up and she opened her eyes. Her eyes glowed a brilliant emerald green before slightly changing color, becoming closer to teal.

As the light dimmed, the others watched in awe as Ravyn stood up and roared triumphantly. She finished her roar and looked at Hiccup guiltily. " _Sorry. I couldn't resist."_

* * *

Loki whistled a jaunty tune as he walked through the streets of Asgard, his hands in his pockets, stealthily holding several sets of female undergarments carefully compacted into his pocket. It hadn't been easy, but it was damn funny to do. Especially because of whose they were.

His master plan of mischief for the day had been a long one. First, he had to meet some Valkyries by "happenstance". Then, invite them for a drink. And some poker. To do that, he'd have to put something on the line. As such, he'd put lots of gold into this scheme. And he'd lost a lot of it early on to the valkyries. On purpose of course to lead them into a false sense of security. But then eventually, they got more and more tippsy. It took a long time though. They could really hold their wine.

He'd then started winning. Upping the bets that they'd match and then winning all his money back and more. Finally when they were without anymore funds, he'd offered to change the rules. He put up an illusion around their table and convinced them to bet their clothes. It had taken an enormous amount of convincing, but finally he convinced them to bet clothes from the inside out. Two more rounds and he had all of their undergarments. After that he'd simply threw up another illusion of him being there, wrote a note telling them they could buy them back later, and left before walking out and dispelling the illusions, leaving the valkyries alone, clothed, but secretly without their undergarments. All in all a good set of mischief.

Loki walked into his home still whistling. "What did you do this time?" Sigyn asked exasperatedly, as she carefully prepared a stew. Loki just pulled out the undergarments with a snicker. "Loki, why do you steal those?"

"Technically, they aren't stolen. They were bet and lost," Loki said with a smirk. "Besides, it's fun to rile the Valkyries up."  
"As long as you don't do anything you'll regret," Sigyn said with a sigh.

"Come now," Loki said. "What have I ever regretted?"

"Shall I list them?" Sigyn asked with a smirk.

Loki faltered and lost his smile momentarily. "No thank you." He walked towards their shared room and stowed the undergarments in a chest filled with others. On the lid was a note saying that each was worth fifty gold. "They'll pay up." He snickered. It was almost a game to him. He'd steal their undergarments and if they wanted them back, they paid him for them.

"I still don't see why you do this," Sigyn said from the kitchen.

"Reason one, it's fun," Loki said with a snicker. "Reason two, it's horribly lucrative." He stood up and walked towards the door, passing his bookshelf before stopping. He took two steps back and looked at his bookshelf. "THOR!"

* * *

Hiccup and Ravyn looked out into the sky, wind blowing gently against them. "Now what?" Astrid asked. Nyte shrugged.

"Doesn't Hiccup have to make a golem or something?" Eira asked.

"Yeah," Nyte replied. "But he'd need his tools, which are on our island, and they can't leave here."

"What about the stones?" Eira asked.

"The stones?" Astrid inquired.

"Yeah, the stones," Eira replied. "They went through them before. Maybe that's what we can do?"

"That won't work," Hiccup said. "We need to bring this island to our island. Otherwise, I won't be able to make an automation."

"How would we do that?" Nyte asked.

"We'd need a tether," Hiccup said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I've got an idea, but I don't know if it will work."

"Well anything's better than just sitting here," Astrid muttered as she tried to process the events of the day.

Hiccup nodded. "We'll need to find a large stone."

* * *

Odin rubbed his temples as Thor and Loki argued in front of him on his throne. "Enough!" he shouted. "One at a time! Loki!" Loki stood at attention. "What is the problem."

"Thor has broken into my home and taken one of my books," Loki said crisply.

"I did no such thing," Thor argued.

"Shut up!" Odin thundered. "I did not ask you." He turned back to Loki. "What book is it he supposedly took?"

"The Trickster's Textbook: a Manual to Mischief and Mayhem," Loki answered.

"And what evidence do you have?" Odin asked.

"Hm, I don't know," Loki said sarcastically. "How about the muddy footprints on my carpet? The wine stain on two other books? How about this half eaten sandwich?!" He shouted holding a sandwich with multiple bites taken from it.

"I was looking for that!" Thor exclaimed, snatching the sandwich from Loki and shoving it in his mouth. Odin facepalmed while Loki shook his head in amazement of his brother's foolishness.

"He also left a note," Loki drawled as he pulled out a piece of parchment.

"A note?" Odin asked.

"Yes a note," Loki replied. "I didn't think he could write, but he's proven me wrong."

"What does the note say?" Odin asked tiredly.

Loki lifted the parchment and began to read. "'Dear Stupid, I took your book, and I don't deny it. This is pa.. pab…' what word is this?"

"Payback," Thor supplied helpfully.

"You're missing a 'C' and a 'Y'," Loki drawled before continuing. "This is payback for always pranking me, and trying to make me look stupid. You're more awesome than you brother, Thor." Loki bit his tongue and then turned the note towards Odin. "Notice that each 'S' is backwards, that he misspelled 'more', 'awesome', 'Stupid' both times, and his incorrect use of 'you're' in contraction form."

"I never said I could write well," Thor defended.

"Are you denying it was yours?" Odin asked.

"Yes," Thor said.

"You admitted it was you, several times you blasted buffoon," Loki snarled. "Now where is my book?!"

"Hey! You hid my hammer from me! It's only fair!"

"Your hammer can only be lifted by you, you idiot!" Loki said. "That's the magic ownership of the hammer!"

"You still hid it!"

"You keep leaving it places when you're drunk," Loki drawled. "I thought I'd teach you not to leave it lying around. All I did was put a blanket over it. It was sitting on the street!"

"Thor," Odin sighed. "How many times have I told you not to leave your hammer lying around."

"Only the worthy can pick it up, father," Thor scoffed. "No one could take it."

"That's only because it's magically tied to specific people," Loki argued. "Father could use his parental lock on it and keep you from using it if he wanted. I believe it's also called a child lock."

"Enough you two," Odin sighed. "Thor, give him his book back."

"What?" Thor asked.

"You heard me," Odin said while Loki extended his hand for the book.

"I can't," Thor muttered. "I don't have it."

"What do you mean you don't have it?" Loki growled.

"I threw it off Asgard," Thor admitted.

"So it's on it's way to midgard," Odin stated.

"Great," Loki growled. "Now I'm going to have to track it down. The good thing is that it can't be opened by just anyone. That and it goes to a safe hidden space anytime it gets removed from Asgard. The odds of anyone finding it are virtually nonexistent."

* * *

"Woo hoo!" Tuffnut shouted as they sped down the tunnel. "How far does this go?"

"I dunno!" Ruffnut shouted back. "But that looks like a-"

"WALL!" The pair shouted, leaning back as far as they could, sliding on the shields too fast to stop on the slick ice and slamming into the stone wall.

The twins groaned in pain and rolled over. Then Tuff laughed. Then Ruff. Pretty soon the twins were rolling in laughter before standing up. "That was awesome!" Tuff shouted.

"Yeah!" Ruff agreed. "Let's do that again!"

"Absolutely let's goooooaaaaaah!" Tuffnut screamed as he took a step and walked off an edge, falling several feet down to hit the stone floor.

Ruffnut chuckled. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tuffnut answered. "I'm fine." He stood up and dusted himself off. He looked up and froze. "Hey Ruff!" He called. "You need to see this!" Ruff promptly jumped and landed on top of him.

"Thanks for the landing," She snickered.

"Get off me, fat ass," Tuffnut growled. Ruffnut laughed and stood up, letting Tuffnut stand up and dust himself off.

"What was it you said I should see?" Ruffnut asked. There was no reply. "Tuff?" She turned around to see Tuffnut standing in front of a glow. A glow that was a myriad of green and gold. The light seemed to wrap around Tuffnut, a flowing river of green and gold light. "Tuff!" She shouted.

"What?" He called, turning towards her. "Get over here! It's fine!" Ruffnut hesitated, but then quickly jogged over to Tuffnut.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a book," he replied in awe.

* * *

"Well?" Loki asked as Heimdall turned to him.

"Someone found it," Heimdall stated.

"What?!" Loki shouted. "Who?"

"Don't know," Heimdall replied. "Twins it seems. It's on an island. In a cave."

"Which island?" Loki asked as he dragged his hands down his face.

"I believe it to be the one that the human mage, Hiccup, rules," Heimdall answered.

"Fucking shit," Loki cursed. He turned and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Heimdall asked.

"To get my book back hopefully," Loki said. As he walked, he passed Thor, eating a leg of mutton. Without skipping a beat, he punched Thor in the mouth, shoving the mutton into Thor's mouth and throat, causing Thor to choke and have a coughing fit. "Don't touch my stuff, asshole."

* * *

"What do you think it's for?" Tuffnut asked.

"Reading, you idiot," Ruffnut snarked.

"I knew that," Tuffnut said as he rolled his eyes. "I wonder what it says." He carefully reached out and took hold of the book. "The Trickster's Textbook. A Manual to Mischief and Mayhem," he read aloud. He grasped the cover and moved to open it.

"Wait!" Ruffnut cried, slamming her hand down on the cover. "What if it's cursed? Or belongs to someone?"

"Then they shouldn't have left it in a cave!" Tuffnut argued. Ruffnut gave him a deadpan look. "C'mon, it says Trickster's Textbook on it. It practically has our name!" She considered this. "What? Are you not even a little curious about what's inside it?"

Ruffnut didn't answer for a moment. "Fine," she finally said. "But we open it together alright?"

"Deal," Tuffnut answered. The twins each stood side by side, and together grabbed the cover.

* * *

"Has anyone seen the twins?" Stoic shouted. Scattered no's echoed through the great hall. "They've been missing for several hours now."

"Why should we care about those nuisances?" One called out.

"The last time we didn't care about where a nuisance was, he was eaten by a dragon," Erik drawled. Immediately the others quieted. "Think about it. Those two were instrumental in our capturing of the dragons, and there was an attempted dragon escape last night. And now the twins are missing?" Others exchanged looks of realization.

"You think it's on purpose?" Gobber asked.

"I think something is off here," Erik said. "It's may be nothing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"You think that the Rider came for revenge on them?" Snotlout asked.

"He's come for revenge before," Erik answered. "The question I have right now is where are the twins. Until that's answered, we can't know for sure."

"He's right," Stoic boomed. "Gort, take some men around to the port. Bucket, you take some through the storehouses. Gobber, check the village. Take Fishlegs, Snotlout and Erik with you. They'll know more of the twin's hiding places. The rest of you, come with me. We'll check the forest."

The vikings all murmured assent as they stood up from their unfinished meals and split into their respective groups, each spreading out to search. Gobber limped out into the village and looked down a well. "Any annoying twins down there?" No answer. "Good, cause if you were, I'd have left you there." He turned to the teens. "Do you know of any hiding places the twins would have used?"

"I know they liked to hide in fish barrels," Fishlegs said. "Those barrels rarely get searched."

"Well let's start there," Gobber said.

"Right," Fishlegs said, following the others, taking one step that made a squishing sound. "Oh come on," he complained. "I stepped in yak dung."

Snotlout snickered. "How'd you manage that?"

"I don't know," Fishlegs whined.

"No wait," Erik said. "How'd you step in yak dung in the village? There aren't any yaks anywhere around here."

"Someone would have had to track it around," Gobber replied.

"Someone who had just gone yak tipping?" Erik asked.

"Mmmm… maybe," Gobber answered, scratching his neck. He stopped. "Erik, you're a genius. One of the twins had to have tracked it here."

"Well, where'd they go?" Snotlout asked.

"Where's the next scrap of yak dung?" Gobber asked.

"They couldn't have tracked that much around," Fishlegs countered, walking off while talking over his shoulder. Another sqush could be heard. "Dammit. Maybe they could have."

"Nice jog Yaklegs," Snotlout chortled. "C'mon! I see more up ahead!" He raced off and took a hard right, moving towards the forest. The others followed him up to the tree line.

"Now how do we track them?" Fishlegs asked.

"By their steps," Erik stated as he crouched to the ground. "Look. Tuffnut's boot print."

"How do you know it's Tuff's?" Snotlout asked.

"It has a T carved into it," Erik replied. He pointed to a footprint in the mud. "Now we just need to follow the prints." Erik stood up and walked into the forest, while the others glanced at each other before following. Meanwhile, Erik's mind was racing. " _How do I know this?"_ he thought.

" _Simple,"_ the voice he recognised as Ares replied. " _Tracking is a skill for a scout. One of the first to war. To understand troop movements and logistics, a scout must be a good tracker. Thereby, a good warrior must be good at tracking."_

" _Good to know,"_ Erik thought back before focusing back on the task at hand. To others, what he did made no sense, but it came as common knowledge to him. A broken branch, moved rocks, divots in the ground. These, along with the occasional track were a written message that told him where the twins had gone. Within no time, they were down in a cove. The cove that the Rider had left from.

"Here again?" Snotlout wondered. "Why are we always here?"

"Erik," Gobber said. "Where are the tracks?"

"They stop right here," Erik said, gesturing to the rock wall in front of them. "Look," he moved and pointed to tracks on the ground. "Here's Tuffnut's tracks, here's Ruffnut's tracks."

"And whose are these?" Fishlegs asked. Erik turned to see Fishlegs pointing to a different pair of footprints. Different shape, size, and even depth. "Those don't look like either of the twins."

"That's because they aren't," Erik said. He stood up and turned to Gobber. "We'd better let the Chief know. It seems that the Twins are missing. And they might have been kidnapped."

 **A.N. Oh my absolute golly gee willikers! That took way too long to write! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to get written! I'll try to update more often, I really will. I'm so sorry that it took so long, please don't kill me. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and if you guys have ideas, please let me know. Either way, please leave your review, and have a great day.**


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